


Something to Remember

by silver_fish



Series: fluff bingo! [4]
Category: A Saga of Light and Dark - T. J. Chamberlain, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bets & Wagers, Emmet POV, F/F, Fluff, Humour, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Nerissa, Prom, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23540881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_fish/pseuds/silver_fish
Summary: Emmet started the pool. Now he just has to make sure these two idiots get him his money before it's too late.
Relationships: Ada Archer & Emmet Pomlei, Ada Archer/Nerissa Smith, Emmet Pomlei & Nerissa Smith
Series: fluff bingo! [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647298
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2
Collections: Writing Squad Fluff Bingo





	Something to Remember

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MoominQuartz (IceCreAMS)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceCreAMS/gifts).



> [twitter](https://twitter.com/laphicets) / [tumblr](https://kohakhearts.tumblr.com)
> 
> this took me so long to figure out, but i'm so glad i eventually came up with a way to make it work because i _love_ these sorts of stories. another fill for my fluff bingo card; the prompt was "'office' betting pool" + ada/nerissa. not an office, obviously, because could you imagine any of these chaotic idiots in an _office job_??? that's just a disaster waiting to happen. thankfully, high school is supposed to be a disaster, so this was a perfect fit for them! ages and some consequent age gaps have been altered slightly: nerissa & emmet are 17, ada turns 18 during the course of the fic, and poseidon is 14. there are a bunch of new character intros and name drops here, but i won't get into that other than to say that almost none of them are actually this close in age to the trio hahaha (some of them are like...fully immortal. SO. LMFAO). and also uhh this kinda got away on me so i'm sorry if it seems rushed towards the end!! ahh okay, all that aside, please enjoy!

It started as a joke.

Most things like this do, really. At first, it was just a couple dollars between a few friends—well, a lot of friends, but Emmet can’t help it that Ada is so _popular_. Nerissa, not so much, but they all know that it’s not like anybody _else_ has a chance with Ada. In small communities like this, it’s hard to avoid, after all; they’ve all known each other since, well, _forever_.

But they’re _Emmet’s_ best friends, so obviously he knows best. The closer they get to graduation, the more people wonder about it.

So, he put a couple dollars on it. Why not?

“They’ll be together by prom,” he said confidently, three dollar bills waving about to back it up, but Karsei shook her head.

“They won’t get together before summer,” she challenged, and she put down _four_ bills, so of course he fished up an extra two.

And then the others overheard, and suddenly there were seven others weighing in with their opinions—and their cash too.

Karsei held on to _that_ —according to her, Emmet wasn’t trustworthy enough—but every time someone else wants to put in a bid, they come to him. He’s had people cornering him in every area of the school.

The only exception, of course, is when he’s with Ada and Nerissa.

They aren’t supposed to know, or it’ll ruin the whole thing. They don’t know, after all, that they’re madly in love and need to get together _soon_ so Emmet can make his cash back. Cash that has multiplied by at _least_ ten by now. He’s pretty sure even Poseidon and some of his little friends have gotten in on it.

In fact, it’s pretty impressive that Nerissa and Ada still have no idea about the pool. The way rumours fly in this school, Emmet would think they’d have _had_ to heard somewhere, but they remain blissfully ignorant as always.

Today, they walk together to the band room for rehearsal while Emmet only half-listens to Nerissa’s most recent academic rant—something about SATs and college and all that stupid stuff she somehow hasn’t realized yet makes Ada really upset because she doesn’t _want_ Nerissa to go to college somewhere _she’s_ not going. Well, Nerissa doesn’t notice much, and Emmet doesn’t exactly want to get in the middle of _that_ discussion, so he just listens to Nerissa go on about her thing and then, later, when Nerissa isn’t around, listens to Ada go on about hers.

This is just how they _work_ , after all. And yet people still question that _he’s_ going to win this stupid bet.

But, he has to be honest, it isn’t looking the best for him. Prom is really not so far away—in fact, they’ve already started voting for king and queen, and Emmet knows that Ada will be distracted by that until she receives the title on the night of the stupid dance. _Why_ she wants to be prom queen so badly is beyond Emmet, but what can he do other than vote for her? Vote for her a few times, even. Not like the student council is checking for fraudulent voting slips. Besides, Nerissa is the president, and Emmet know she has probably put as many extra votes in as he has.

“Oh, Emmet, I wanted to ask you something.”

Emmet blinks and turns to look at Ada. He didn’t even realize Nerissa had stopped talking.

“Dad’s having a barbeque tonight,” she continues. “He wants you and your mom to come over, so he can—I don’t know, flex, I guess.”

Emmet snorts. “Somehow, I doubt my mom will be very impressed by his barbeque, no matter how new and shiny it is.”

“That’s what I said too.” She shrugs. “Still, you should come over. Nerissa’s family will be there too.”

“And the dog?”

“And the dog,” Nerissa confirms.

“Sweet. Sure, then. I’m sure Mom would be up for it.”

“Cool.” Ada grins. “If she says yes, meet us after class. I have to go pick some stuff up for Dad, and then you can just come home with me.”

Normally, Emmet would just walk to and from school, while Nerissa and her brother usually had a ride from Adrienne when she was on her way to work. Ada isn’t the only one of them with a license, but she _is_ the only one who has a car to prove it. If not for the fact that she worked on the other side of town, Emmet would say she doesn’t even _need_ one, not when she, like he and Nerissa, lives so close to the high school.

“Can you bring my physics notes with you?” Nerissa asks wearily. “We have a test tomorrow, you know, so I kind of need them.”

“Physics notes?” Emmet frowns. “Sorry, I can’t remember—”

“Oh, shut up,” she grumbles. “I know you’re fucking with me. Just bring them by, all right?”

“Whatever you say, prez.”

She rolls her eyes, then turns and stalks away to go prepare her bassoon for class.

“She’s in a bad mood today,” he remarks as Ada drops her things down on one of the chairs already set up near the front of the room.

“You’re just noticing?” Ada smiles, though. She even thinks Nerissa’s bad moods are cute. How nauseating.

“Just because you hang on to every word she says doesn’t mean _I_ do.”

Ada flushes, ducking her head to open her piccolo’s case. “I don’t do that, either. She’s our friend. We’re _supposed_ to listen to her.”

“Supposed to learn the best times to tune her out, I think.”

Before Ada can get the retort he knows is on the tip of her tongue out, the first bell rings. He smirks at her. “I’ll see you later, then. Don’t screw up that solo again!”

“I didn’t screw it up the first time!” she shouts, but he has already squeezed past his classmates to get to the back of the room and join the other percussionists.

It’s true that she didn’t _really_ screw it up the first time. In fact, Ada is a fantastic player; if Emmet wasn’t so sure she’ll make an even better doctor, he might have tried urging her to go into music instead. Nerissa isn’t half bad, either, though it’s been obvious since they were in middle school that while Ada would often give up study time to practice, Nerissa was inclined to do the opposite. Emmet, for his part, generally chooses to do neither.

They have a home concert coming up soon, too. Just before prom, in fact. Their conductor, Mr. Ryes, has warned them at _least_ a hundred times by now that he won’t accept any less from them just because they’re buzzing with excitement about the upcoming school dance, apparently the most important moment of any high school student’s life.

Emmet thinks it’s stupid, but he’ll go anyway, if only because he knows Ada would never let him forget it if he _didn’t_.

Nerissa feels the same, though, and yet she has bought some flashy dress—saved money for years for it, in fact, because she was determined to not make her parents pay the bulk of the bill—to wear just the one time anyway. Neither Emmet nor Ada have seen it, though he and Nerissa have both seen Ada’s a few dozen times each. Not that Emmet _cares_ or anything, but it is kind of nice. Prom queen worthy, at least.

Their rehearsal is mostly smooth-going, except for one moment between pieces when one of the other percussionists, Deinos, tapped Emmet on the shoulder and passed him a twenty dollar bill.

“You’ll give this to Karsei?” he asked.

“I’m not a _middle_ _man_ ,” Emmet grumbled, but he snatched the bill up anyway. “Do you even know what your betting on?”

“I already talked to Karsei,” he said easily. “She’ll know as long as you say it’s from me. Also, are you playing the timp part or am I?”

He really shouldn’t be surprised by now when people randomly starting tossing money at him, but the more it happens, the more he wonders if this was really such a good idea after all.

And, indeed, he gets over fifty more dollars even before the end of the school day (all of which he begrudgingly hands off to Karsei in bio during their final period). He has no idea how much money has been put on them so far, but he know it’s a hell of a lot more than what he and the first few others put in. In fact, people are putting in even bigger bets, or adding to theirs as time goes on. He certainly doesn’t envy Karsei all the math she’ll have to do when this whole thing is over.

The first milestone was Valentine’s Day, which passed over a month ago. Emmet knows better than _that_ , though; Nerissa hates Valentine’s Day, and Ada only likes it because the chocolates go on sale the very next day. And yet over a hundred dollars had been put on that day, and now everyone who initially betted for that is re-evaluating and picking new deadlines with the hopes of earning at least _something_ back. Deadlines like prom, or graduation, or, for those who are _really_ invested, the end of summer when Nerissa inevitably goes to college whether Ada’s going with her or not.

But April is getting closer and closer, and Emmet knows that he only has two months to secure a victory for himself in this whole thing while Nerissa is stressing about the fact that she didn’t apply for early admissions to what she’s sure, now, _must_ be her dream school and Ada is trying to “enjoy what she has left” of her _childhood_ or whatever. It’s looking a bit bleak, in all honesty. At least Nerissa will start getting her stupid acceptance letters soon, and then she’ll just be stressing about scholarships instead.

He, himself, couldn’t really care less. _Maybe_ he’ll go to college someday—his mother would certainly like him to, but she also doesn’t want to push him into a field he won’t like. He figures that they have the rest of their lives to figure shit out, so why should he let it worry him _now_?

So, he doesn’t feel so bad about not paying attention in class, either. By the time the final one of the day is over, he’s more than ready to leave this stupid place until Monday. Spring break having just ended only a couple weeks ago, they’re _all_ more than exhausted from a full week of real work.

He stops by his locker to hunt down Nerissa’s physics notes, then makes his way back towards the front doors. It doesn’t take long once he’s outside to spot Ada and Nerissa, the former’s hair shining like an angel’s halo in the springtime sun. He hurries to catch up to them; they stop talking as soon as he approaches from behind.

“Talk to your mom?” Ada asks.

“Oh.” Emmet snorts. “No, I forgot. Here, Nerissa, take these,” he adds, holding her notes out to her. She does so with a sniff and something muttered under her breath that sounds suspiciously like, “ _Took you long enough_.”

Ada rolls her eyes. “Of course you did. We’ll wait, then.”

Typical of her to _make_ him phone his mother.

But he does so anyway and quickly explains the situation to her.

“As long as he doesn’t expect us to bring our own food,” she says dismissively, and though he isn’t entirely sure, he assures her that that’s not the case.

When he hangs up, he declares, “Good to go. So, what errands are we running for the mighty Adonis tonight?”

“Water, some snacks…” Ada shrugs. “Whatever we want, really.”

“Cool. Shotgun, by the way.” Emmet squeezes between them in order to elbow Nerissa in the ribs.

She slaps his arm in retaliation, scowling. “Whatever, I don’t care. Just don’t put on shit music like you usually do.”

“Aux cord privileges have been revoked,” Ada reminds them. “Since the DK Rap incident.”

“It’s a good song,” Emmet protests. “I’m _sorry_ you guys have bad taste!”

“Well, I do have to say it’s marginally better than Skrillex,” Nerissa muses as they start walking again. “Your middle school years weren’t good to you, Emmet.”

She sounds _mournful_ , like she wasn’t a total loser in middle school too.

“Fine, whatever! I won’t touch the aux cord, then. Don’t be so stingy.”

“I’m not stingy. You’re just sensitive.”

Oh, and _she’s_ not?

“No fighting,” Ada chastises, pulling out her keys and pressing the button to unlock the doors. “You’ll both have to sit in the back if you keep that up.”

Emmet tugs open the passenger side door and drops into the seat with a heavy sigh. “Yes, _Mom_.”

“I’m just saying, it’s annoying.”

“ _You’re_ annoying.”

She slides into the seat on the other side of the console. “I didn’t mean you could stop fighting with Nerissa just to fight with me!”

Nerissa throws her bag into the back, then follows after it, slamming the door shut behind her. “I’m with Ada, sorry.”

“Of course you are,” he grumbles, and he doesn’t need to turn around to see the way blush crawl up her cheeks.

Ada puts the key in the ignition and gives it a twist. As the lights on the dashboard come alive, she pulls out her phone and begins searching for something to put on. On the _stupid_ aux cord. He does _not_ have bad taste.

She puts on some dumb top forty hits playlist, and then they are off before Emmet even has a chance to complain about it. He rolls down his window and rests his elbow against the door, watching Ada thoughtfully. She hums along to the song blaring from the speakers, but otherwise maintains complete focus on the road and wherever their destination is. Probably no other seventeen-year-old would be such a cautious driver, but Emmet suspects that Ada is only like this because she learned from her dad, and Adonis is just about the most _cautious_ person Emmet has ever met. Compared to his own mother and Nerissa’s parents, Ada’s father is definitely the strictest.

But Ada is almost an adult now. In fact, her birthday is just weeks away. She hasn’t made plans yet, surprisingly, but maybe that’s because she isn’t quite looking forward to it as much as she did her others. Turning eighteen will, after all, signify the _end_ of something, just as much as it signifies a beginning. And Emmet and Nerissa won’t have their birthdays until well after summer, a fact which has always disappointed her despite the fact that it’s not as if they can even _do_ anything when they turn eighteen (Nerissa would say, “You can _vote_ ,” in that particular tone of hers, but Emmet rather thinks that, compared to being able to go into clubs and casinos, that’s nothing).

Emmet glances back to see Nerissa on her phone—probably texting her brother, to make sure he’s gotten home all right. As if there could ever be any worry that their parents would _forget_ him.

They all come from pretty different places, and while Ada and Nerissa would likely have known each other anyway, due to the friendship between Ada’s aunt Avery and Nerissa’s mother, Emmet never would have met them if they had not grown up in such close proximity. In fact, Emmet doubts he would have befriended either of them at school—especially not Nerissa, who has _always_ been a huge nerd—but they’ve been tied together since they were barely even old enough for kindergarten. It will be weird for all of that to change, if Nerissa and Ada both wind up moving away while Emmet stays here.

Huh. He hasn’t _really_ thought about it like that before, but it _is_ a bit of a depressing thought. Maybe he gets why the topic bothers Ada so much, after all.

He doesn’t need to dwell on it, though, so he doesn’t. By the time they arrive at the supermarket and Ada is bossing them around (“Emmet, go get some water, would you? Nerissa and I will grab the rest and meet you at the tills.”), it is effectively gone from his mind—though he files the thought away for further contemplation, at a _much_ later date.

Split up, they make quick work of their task. Ada pays, then pockets the receipt so she won’t forget to give it to her dad when they get to her house. It’s not a long drive, by any means; by the time they’re there, it’s barely even four-thirty.

Emmet and Ada carry the shopping in while Nerissa carries her school things (which is probably more than Emmet’s and Ada’s loads combined), and Emmet leaves it in the kitchen so Ada can sort through everything.

Nerissa drops her backpack on the floor against the table and sits down, groaning. “I can’t _wait_ until this year is over.”

“Maybe it would go by faster if you had taken less AP classes,” Emmet suggests, which predictably earns him a glare.

“Maybe _you_ should have taken more.” She huffs. “Then you wouldn’t say stupid things all the time.”

“That would be impossible for him,” Ada calls from the other side of the kitchen counter.

Nerissa laughs far harder at this than Emmet _really_ thinks is necessary, all things considered. If AP classes kept people from saying stupid things, _surely_ Nerissa would have an easier time shutting up?

The patio door opens suddenly, admitting Ada’s father, Adonis. He looks around the kitchen, appearing pleased.

“How much do I owe you?” he asks, stepping into the kitchen fully with only a brief wave to indicate he has even noticed Emmet and Nerissa at all. Well, they’re around so often, he might as well not notice them, at least as much as he doesn’t notice Ada.

Ada straightens up from where she was digging something out of a bag and pulls the receipt from the front pocket of her jeans, passing it across the counter to him. He looks it over, nods, then disappears into the next room to, presumably, find her some cash.

“I wish my mom paid me back for stuff like that,” Emmet complains, though really just for the sake of complaining. Really, she offers to pay him back, but he usually says _no_.

“Maybe you should start doing my dad’s errands instead, then,” Ada jokes. “I certainly wouldn’t mind passing the job to someone else.”

Emmet grimaces. “Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I’ve got enough to deal with.”

“Yeah, like watching _Grey’s_ reruns with your mom,” Nerissa says.

“We don’t watch _reruns_. We’re completely caught up, actually!”

“Not me.” Ada comes around the counter and takes the seat next to Nerissa. “It’s all been downhill since Cristina left, anyway.”

Emmet rolls his eyes. “You only think so because she reminds you so much of Nerissa.”

Ada reddens, opening her mouth to protest, but is interrupted as Adonis re-enters the room, wallet in hand.

“Here,” he says, dropping a few bills down on the table in front of her. “By the way, Adrienne’s coming over at five. They’re bringing Helios.”

“Yeah, Nerissa said.” Ada takes the cash, stowing it in her pocket, then rises and stretches her arms above her head. “We’ll keep ourselves occupied until then, don’t worry.”

“All right. Aunt Avery is downstairs, though.”

Ada shoots Emmet and Nerissa a sly look. “Watching _nature documentaries_ ,” she says in a stage-whisper.

Adonis shakes his head at her, but he’s smiling a bit, too. “Go easy on her, Ada. She’s getting pretty bored around here, is all.”

Avery, who has lived with Ada and Adonis since Adonis’s divorce (or, Ada and Adonis have been living with Avery, rather; while Emmet and Nerissa have known Ada since they were small children, she didn’t actually live here full-time until she was ten and her parents split up—though she always said she would rather be at Avery’s place, even then, and Emmet can’t say he ever blamed her), has been hunting for a job for nearly three months now with little luck. Before, she worked in an office in the city, but when they changed her hours, she was unable to make the commute anymore and had to quit. Well, she could have just moved into the city, but Ada’s always saying that she sticks around more for Adonis’s benefit than for her own, anyway.

“We’ll just work on homework or something,” Ada says with a shrug. “Let’s go to my room.”

They do, and _Nerissa_ , at least, does homework, while Ada lies on her bed beside Emmet and periodically shows him TikToks. By now, Nerissa probably knows there’s no point in trying to get them to study too and happily lets them do their thing.

“I think I could become TikTok famous,” Ada muses after a while. “I see a lot of white blondes on here, so that’s gotta mean _something_ , right?”

Emmet snickers. “Way to use your privilege for the greater good. But, sure, you could probably get a lot of followers from pulling pranks on your dad.”

Her eyes light up. “That’s a _great_ idea. I bet Aunt Avery would help.”

“Mom would be thrilled if you included her too,” Nerissa offers absently from the desk, which, though it’s in Ada’s room, might as well be hers by this point anyway.

“Ada, Avery, and Adrienne, master pranksters,” Ada declares, rising to a sitting position. “It would help Aunt Avery, at least, right? Give her something to do?”

“No way.” Emmet looks up at her with a raised eyebrow. “Dude, your aunt is _such_ a boomer. She’d be lost trying to get Internet famous.”

Ada taps her chin. “Touché. We’ll need something else, then.”

“I’ll think on it,” he says dryly. “So, Nerissa, what’s this physics test you were going on about?”

She pauses, then whirls around and glares at him. “We’ve known about it _forever_! How are you even passing?!”

“Just because I don’t pay attention doesn’t mean I’m an idiot,” he objects. “You can’t _not_ tell me what it’s on.”

“I _ought_ to,” she mutters. Then, louder: “Radiation. You know, the shit we’ve been doing for weeks?”

“I don’t know about _weeks_ …”

Nerissa opens her mouth to respond, furious, but Ada interrupts her with a small laugh.

“You know, he’s _always_ been like this,” she points out, lips curved. “You’d think after six or more years, you’d be used to it.”

“Like _what_?” Emmet demands.

Before either of them can say, though, the sound of the front door opening carries down the hall, with it a multitude of new voices and—

“Helios!” Emmet hastens to his feet. “Finally, someone who will _appreciate_ me.”

“He’s _my_ dog,” Nerissa says, but she’s standing too, homework abandoned on Ada’s desk for the meantime.

“More like Poseidon’s dog, really.” Ada is the first to the door, opening it up to let them out. They don’t get the chance to before the dog in question—a golden retriever, fully grown but still young enough to _act_ like a puppy—is barreling towards them.

Emmet isn’t _really_ a dog person—or a cat person, even—but Helios is terribly difficult _not_ to love. He stands before them, tongue lolling, looking for all the world like he has just come across a great treasure.

Ada leans down and scratches behind his ears, making cooing noises. Nerissa, for her part, just pushes past them to get to the others.

As Helios turns and races after Nerissa, Emmet watches Ada with some amusement, watching her smile turn to a pout.

“How will I ever win that dog’s love?” She sighs dramatically.

Emmet grins. “Guess you’d have to earn Nerissa’s first.”

“Shut up!” She shoves him. _Hard_. “She’ll _hear_ you, you know—”

“Oh, come _on_ , as if you’re not already obvious—”

“I said, shut up!”

“All right, all right, I’m shutting up.” He puts his hands up in mock defeat. “Lead the way, then.”

She does, but not without shooting him a scowl first. It doesn’t make him think she’s any less of a complete idiot, though.

“Hey, guys.” Adrienne is the first one they see upon emerging from the hall, holding what looks like an unopened bottle of cola in her hands. “How’s school going?”

“Don’t ask,” Ada says darkly, looking significantly between Emmet and Nerissa.

Understanding blooms in her eyes. “Right, right. How’s….everything else, then?”

“Fine,” Emmet puts in before Ada gets the chance. “You know, this one here is gonna be our prom queen, right? She’s so popular. I hear boys are asking her out every single day.”

Adonis, in the middle of grabbing something from the fridge, suddenly straightens up and looks directly at them, waiting. Emmet holds back a grin.

“I haven’t said _yes_ to any of them.” Ada huffs. “I’m waiting for someone else to ask me.”

Emmet gives her a light push. “Well, jeez, Ada, you should’ve _said_ so. Of course I’ll go to prom with you.”

Adrienne laughs at this, and Adonis rolls his eyes before returning to his task (crisis apparently averted), but Ada just crosses her arms over her chest and says, “As if!”

“I’m sure they’ll come around,” Adrienne assures Ada with a wink, and Emmet briefly wonders if he ought to ask her to place a bet as well. “You know, Ely was pretty oblivious, too. I think I asked him out ten times before he said yes.”

“Define ‘asking out,’” comes Ely’s voice from behind her, where he’s standing with Nerissa, Poseidon, and Helios. “Because, if you ask me, she barely even asked me the one time.”

Adrienne lifts one hand in a dismissive wave before bringing it down to twist the lid off her bottle. “Ancient history. I can tell it however I want.”

In an honestly pretty impressive impression of Nerissa, Poseidon cries, “ _But history is supposed to be_ objective _, Mom!_ ”

The entire room—sans Nerissa, who protests, “I do _not_ sound like that!”—dissolves into laughter. At this point, Avery finally makes her appearance known, squeezing into the kitchen past Emmet and Ada and looking around the room with a frown.

“What did I miss?”

“Emmet was just telling us how Ada is going to be voted prom queen,” Adrienne reports. “But we’ve yet to hear his projections for prom _king_.”

“Ugh, don’t even.” Emmet shudders. “Nobody’s voting for me, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“Oh, really?” Ada’s tone is innocent. _Too_ innocent.

He narrows his eyes at her. “So the first victim of your pranking account is me, is it? Well, you’re going to be disappointed, because I don’t care.”

“I think you do,” she singsongs. “You just don’t want to admit it, ‘cause you think you’re too _cool_.”

“I _am_ too cool, that’s why.”

“Emmet being prom king is about as likely as me being queen,” Nerissa says, leaning against the counter and gazing over at them. “That would be the day, that people actually _liked_ you enough to vote for you in a popularity contest.”

“Looks are a factor too!”

“Even less likely, then.”

“Come on, Nerissa,” says Ely with a tone of disapproval in his voice so faint Emmet _knows_ it’s faked. “Don’t hurt Emmet’s feelings.”

“My feelings aren’t hurt,” Emmet denies. “Anyway, when are we eating?”

Adonis, on the opposite side of the counter from Nerissa, frowns. “As soon as your mother gets here. She must be running late.”

Yeah, _running late_. She’s probably stalling just so she won’t have to listen to Adonis go on about his new barbeque like it’s his next wife for three hours straight.

“She won’t mind,” Emmet says. “Seriously. We can start without her.”

He still looks uncertain, but Adrienne grins. “Her own fault for being late, I say. Let’s eat!”

Avery and Adonis have never been very _good_ at saying no to Adrienne, thankfully. And from the look Adrienne shoots Emmet’s way, he knows she’s just as aware of it as the rest of them are.

One of the first truly nice days of spring, they elect to eat outside. Without Isobel here to be subjected to Adonis’s unending dialogue, he instead turns to Ely. Unlike Isobel, Ely is not quite as capable of politely tuning him out, and Emmet notes with some amusement that Adrienne and Avery are making fun of them pretty much throughout the entirety of their meal.

Isobel shows about an hour later, accompanied by some excuse about getting caught up on a business call and an apology they all know is _really_ meant for Ely. Adonis buys it completely, of course. He _always_ does.

It’s only the middle of March, so they’ll have many more evenings like this even before the end of the school year. It has been a tradition since he, Nerissa, and Ada were just kids, after all. He gets the feeling that their parents will miss it as much as they will, when everything is said and done.

And there’s that thought again, the realization that they might not be _together_ a year from now.

But it is only the middle of March. He pushes it back down, determined not to think like that. Not until Ada and Nerissa have won him back his money tenfold, at the very least.

After all, how in the world can he finally get them together if he’s worrying about what might happen if they’re _apart_?

*

It happens on a Thursday, the last of the month. They’ve been expecting it for a while—a _long_ while, really, because Nerissa hasn’t shut up about it since she _applied_ —but it’s still a bit of a shock when there’s a knock on his door at five in the evening and he’s suddenly being _hugged_. Like, _seriously_ hugged. Suffocating and all.

“What the hell,” he manages after a moment, wheezing. “You’re breaking my _ribs_.”

Nerissa pulls away from him, blue eyes shining bright. “Sorry,” she says, but he knows she is not. “It’s just—I’m so excited! And you should come over, ‘cause my dad baked a _cake_ , and, you know, I wonder if he baked a _second_ one, like, just in case I _didn’t_ get it, but that doesn’t even matter because I—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Emmet holds his hands up, eyeing her very seriously. “You’re not telling me you got into _Princeton_ , are you?”

Her grin stretches so wide Emmet worries her lips might crack. “Uh, _yes_ , I totally am.”

“Holy fuck, man!” He can’t help smiling too, not when she’s looking like _that_. “Does Ada know?”

And, in an instant, the excited spark in her eyes dulls down to a watery sort of guilt. “Well…”

“Oh, come on, she won’t be _mad_.”

Nerissa looks away from him and visibly swallows. “That’s not what I’m worried about. I just don’t want her to feel like…”

 _Like I’m leaving her behind_.

Huh. So maybe Nerissa _is_ more observant than he’s been giving her credit for.

“Well, she might feel that,” he concedes. “But that’s not _your_ problem. It’s hers. So why feel bad about it?”

“I just need some more time,” she mutters. Then, glancing up again: “So, are you coming or not?”

“Well, _duh_. When have I ever said no to cake? Just let me tell my mom.”

She nods, stepping inside so he can close the door and make his way back to the sitting room, where he finds his mother immersed in what he can only assume to be some trashy romance novel. She glances up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“They’re having success cake,” he supplies.

“Don’t be too late,” is her idle response. “Give Nerissa my congratulations.”

“Cool. Will do.”

“Oh, and—” She stops, dog earing her page and closing the book to get a better look at him. “ _Do_ bring me back a slice, would you? Or at least tell Ely to save one for the next time I come around.”

He barely resists rolling his eyes. “Sure. See you later, then.”

She has already opened the book up again. “Have fun, _mijito_.”

When he returns to the door to find his shoes, Nerissa’s spirits seem to have gone up again. Well, that’s hardly a surprise; if Emmet were to make a guess as to how Nerissa’s theoretical _List of Favourite Things_ lines up, Poseidon would be at the top, immediately followed by _studying_. Ada’s up there too, somewhere. All Emmet knows is that he’s probably lower, if only because Nerissa can’t spend so much time _staring_ at him the way she does Ada.

“So your parents are totally freaking out, right?” Emmet asks once he’s got his shoes on. “Like _freaking_ freaking out?”

Nerissa laughs, opening the door ahead of him. “What? _No way_ , they’re totally chill. I have no idea where you’d get an idea like _that_ from.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” He steps out and closes the door, then leads her down the walk. The short trail to her house has been walked so many times over the years that he doesn’t even need to look where he’s going, let alone check if Nerissa is following. “And Poseidon is…?”

Nerissa makes a face. “I think he’s probably a little bummed, but he’s not saying so. I don’t want to assume, either. You know how he gets.”

Oh, yes, Emmet _does_ know.

“Well, he’ll oughta be pleased that his geeky sister won’t be destroying his rep anymore,” he remarks flippantly. “I mean, can you imagine how kids must bully him because he’s related to the fucking _student council president_?”

“That’s not geeky. It’s super cool. Plus, it looks good on a college app _and_ a CV. Never mind there were less than two hundred others in our grade.”

“Using the system to your advantage, I see.”

“Well, it’s better than affirmative action, at least.” Because he knows the _last_ thing Nerissa would want is to get into school based on the colour of her skin and not her grades, as if she doesn’t deserve to have _something_ good to come out of all the shit being brown gives her otherwise. He would never say so—because while he may be insensitive at times, he at least _does_ understand what truly upsets his friends—but he wishes she could feel something like…ugh, he doesn’t even know. Wishes she could feel _better_ about herself in an area that _isn’t_ school.

She is, after all, a pretty spectacular person. She’s beautiful—though she doesn’t think so, and would be livid if he ever even suggested so himself—and talented in just about everything she does (except cooking, but Emmet, at least, grew up with pretty high standards in that corner). It’s no wonder Ada adores her so much. If Emmet didn’t spend half his time wanting to strangle her, he might feel the same.

They’ve been all over each other for years, though. Since they were, like, _fourteen_. Maybe even younger. And it’s no secret amongst even their families; Adrienne and Ely have surely been waiting as long as Emmet has been to hear the good news. Except that, apparently, the only people who _don’t_ know they’re that into each other are, well. _Them_. And maybe Adonis, but he hardly counts. Not like he would know anything about romance after his train wreck of a marriage.

When they get up to the front door of Nerissa’s house, Emmet flings it open, delighted but unsurprised to see Helios already sitting there waiting for them.

“He better be getting some success cake too,” Emmet says to Nerissa as she steps inside and eases the door shut.

She looks up at him, positively scandalized. “He can’t have _cake_!”

“But it’s good for him,” Emmet wheedles. “You know, when you live on a diet of kibble, you ought to get something sweet _once_ in a while.”

“Yeah, well.” She kicks her shoes off and lets out an indignant huff. “Mom and Poseidon feed him all the time, so maybe you should talk to them instead.”

“Hurry up!” Poseidon suddenly yells from the kitchen (speak of the devil, indeed). “Dad won’t let me have any of this until you get some!”

Nerissa smiles fondly, in that way Emmet knows she does only when she’s sure Poseidon can’t see her. “Hold your horses,” she calls back. “We’re coming.”

She leads him down the hall and around the corner to the kitchen. While the Archers’ décor is mostly dark, the walls and furniture in the Smith household are white and light brown, making everything seem far brighter than it really is. It seems fitting for Adrienne and Poseidon, at least, but Nerissa has never had the _sunniest_ personality, and her dad is relatively reserved, too.

“Hey, Emmet,” Adrienne says cheerfully. “Nerissa insisted that we couldn’t have cake without you. Nice, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, _nice_ , sure.” Emmet shoots Nerissa a teasing grin, then turns back to face her parents. “My mom wants a piece too, if you can spare it.”

“We’ll save one,” says Ely, who is holding a huge knife over the cake in question with probably way more focus than he _really_ needs. But, well, safety first, right? It’s no wonder Nerissa is the way she is, Emmet sometimes thinks.

“Just cut it already,” Poseidon complains. “I’ve been waiting _all day_ —”

“How would you have known?” Nerissa demands.

“Well, I didn’t.” He shrugs. “But if it hadn’t been these, we would have had pie instead. Dad said so.”

“It’s a comfort food,” Ely objects. “And you weren’t supposed to _tell_ her that, bud.”

Nerissa considers her father for a moment, then asks, “So you _didn’t_ make the pie?”

Ely cuts across the cake—vanilla and strawberry, probably, since it’s _Nerissa’s_ success cake, after all. “No, but I had everything I needed for it just in case. We had the utmost faith in you,” he adds. “I never doubted you would get in for a second.”

Emmet’s pretty sure that’s the truth, too. Nerissa’s family have always been so supportive of her, even when she’s been difficult—and God knows she’s difficult a _lot_ of the time. Poseidon, too. He’s not some freaky genius like Nerissa is, but Emmet’s never gotten the feeling that their parents would want him to be. Hell, they’re almost as supportive of Emmet and Ada as they are of Nerissa. Of _course_ they’re the same with Poseidon.

Ely hands a piece to Nerissa first, and then one to Poseidon. When Emmet receives his, he joins the two of them at the table, followed shortly by Adrienne and Ely. The cake is, of course, amazing; Emmet will never understand how Nerissa can be so like her father in other ways, but failed to inherit a single bit of culinary talent.

“So, when do you go, anyway?” Emmet asks.

“The end of summer,” Nerissa says, like he’s _stupid_.

“No crap. I meant what _day_.”

“Oh.” She at least has the decency to look a little embarrassed. “Um, I’m not really sure, to be honest. I’ll have to take a look at everything, and there are scholarships and stuff too, you know. Lots to think about.”

“Don’t think _too_ hard,” Adrienne puts in, almost chastising but not quite. “It’s not your responsibility to worry about the cost. We know you did the best you could, and that’s what matters most.”

Nerissa looks like she might argue, but, perhaps because Emmet is here, she does not.

But Emmet knows how touchy a subject money is with Nerissa. It’s not like the Smiths are _poor_ , but Princeton is definitely a bit out of their price range. They’re better off now than when Nerissa was a kid, but Emmet knows that there are areas of their lives where they are really only just struggling to stay afloat.

Still, Adrienne and Ely would probably give up everything of their own if it meant getting Nerissa the education she wants. They’re just…like that. And he thinks Nerissa would be pretty fucking stupid to say no to something like that when her lifelong dreams are on the line.

It _would_ be her style, though. Which is probably why she’s so worried about Ada, too. As if it’s somehow her _job_ to make everyone else happy even if it means making herself miserable. Her only intelligence really is that of the academic sort.

“The good news is that it’s really close,” Adrienne goes on. “So you can come back whenever. Obviously, it’s a bit too far for you to still live with us, but weekends are definitely on the table, and your birthday too.”

They never say _Christmas_ around the Smith household, because even though they celebrate the holiday—“celebrate” being an arbitrary term, because Ely didn’t grow up with it and Adrienne certainly doesn’t have a religious bone in her body—it falls on the exact same day as Nerissa’s birthday, and they’ve always refused to let her think that Christmas was somehow more important than that. So, they do Christmas the day before, and then the actual day is Nerissa’s birthday first and foremost. Emmet has always just used this coincidence as an excuse to only buy her one gift a year, personally, but she’s never complained (not to his face, anyway).

Nerissa beams. “Yeah. It’s great. And you guys can come visit me too.”

“I’m sure Ada would like that,” Emmet says pointedly, and her smile slips away.

“I’m sure she would,” she mutters.

Ely and Adrienne share one of those cryptic looks married couples do sometimes (not that Emmet would know, since his mother has never _been_ married), and Poseidon rolls his eyes, exasperated.

Sometimes, Emmet feels like Poseidon is the only one who _gets_ the shit he puts up with.

“When are you going to tell her?” Adrienne ventures. “You should do it sooner than later, or she’ll—”

“I _will_ ,” Nerissa snaps, jaw clenching. “I know what _you_ think, but she thinks I’ll go to NYU with her, so—”

Emmet snorts. “She does _not_ think that.”

Nerissa glares at him. “And she’s told you, has she?”

“Uh, _yeah_.”

She seems affronted, momentarily, then shakes herself. “Well, whatever. She’ll be disappointed either way.”

“Your mother’s right,” Ely says. “You can’t know what she’ll feel until you tell her. Besides, Ada’s your friend. She would be more disappointed to know you were worried about something like this at all.”

“Maybe,” but her gaze is dubious.

Nobody else says anything—although Emmet would have, if not for the fact that Nerissa’s _family_ is here with them—and they finish the rest of the success cake in relative silence. It takes on a slightly bitter taste, to Emmet’s annoyance, but by the time their plates have all been cleared, the tension in the atmosphere has mostly drained away again.

Ely takes their dishes, once he has ascertained that nobody wants another slice, and Adrienne follows him into the kitchen to help wash up. With them gone, Nerissa asks, “Want to stay for a game or something?”

Emmet eyes her suspiciously. “This isn’t some trick to get me to study, right?”

“I gave up on trying to do _that_ years ago.”

“Uno,” Poseidon suggests.

“Uh, sorry, kiddo, but no. You’ve seen the way your sister plays that game, haven’t you?”

He nods thoughtfully. “You’re right. Monopoly, then.”

“You _want_ to get us killed?” Why else would he be suggesting the most brutally violent games of human history?

“I was think more Scategories or something,” says Nerissa.

“Monopoly sounds fine, actually.”

“Seriously?”

“I’ll go get it!” Poseidon bolts off, grinning.

Nerissa shakes her head fondly, watching him go. “You might be here for a while.”

Emmet shrugs. “As long as you don’t mind staying up late on a _school_ night.”

“Oh, shut _up_.” She’s smiling, though, that same smile she was wearing earlier when she came to his door with her news. It doesn’t seem to leave her for very long—which is a welcome change, considering she has always been so prone to _brooding_ about things.

Poseidon returns and drops the box down on the table between them before resuming his seat across from Nerissa. They watch as he begins to set it up, pushing all the money over to Nerissa—because of _course_ she’ll be the banker—and then separating out the cards and game pieces, picking up the dog for himself.

“Just like Helios,” he says wisely.

“That looks _nothing_ like Helios,” Nerissa tells him.

Although Helios never comes when his name is called _otherwise_ , he comes trotting over now, sitting down on Poseidon’s right side.

“I think Helios disagrees,” he says, all triumph.

Nerissa rolls her eyes, but she can’t exactly _dispute_ it. That dog has a sixth sense or something, Emmet often thinks. And Poseidon _is_ his favourite.

By the time Adrienne and Ely return, the game is set up and Emmet, Poseidon, and Nerissa have already rolled the dice. Poseidon’s roll of eleven has him going first—and Nerissa’s two has _her_ going last. As Poseidon takes up the dice for the first turn, Emmet sits back and watches, prepared for what will surely be a long, vicious game.

But he doesn’t _really_ mind. Even if Nerissa will almost certainly win. It is, after all, _her_ day, and he—just like the rest of her family—is more than happy to celebrate it with her.

*

He doesn’t _mean_ for it to get out.

He doesn’t even think Karsei does, really. But Karsei tells Kadees everything, and Kadees accidentally told Circe, and from there it was really only a matter of time before Ada heard.

And now Emmet is in a bit of a—situation.

She finds him at the end of the school day on Tuesday, and his first instinct is to ask where Nerissa is until he sees the _look_ on her face.

“I think we should talk,” she says, voice hard. But he has known her for a very long time; it would be impossible to miss the hurt she’s trying to cover up.

Nothing good ever comes from those words, anyway. Emmet resigns himself to the inevitable and nods.

She guides him out to her car, and, while she starts it, she does not begin driving. Does not even, in fact, fasten her own seatbelt.

“I’m not going to assume I know everything,” she says after a moment. “Which is why I’m asking you first. Also, do you want to go to McDonalds?”

 _That’s_ not a good sign.

“Uh. Sure.”

“Cool.”

But she is still not putting on her seatbelt.

Suddenly, she turns her head to look at him, green eyes blazing. “Why didn’t Nerissa _tell_ me?”

Oh.

He should’ve known, really. Maybe he even sort of did, before she dragged him out here.

Well, there’s no point in playing dumb. “I told her she should.”

“Yeah, but she _didn’t_.” And, oh no, her eyes are starting to look a little shinier than Emmet is equipped to deal with. “She told—who? _Karsei_? Unless she’s just telling _everyone_ , since apparently being her _friend_ doesn’t matter.”

 _Shit_. “Uh, actually... _I_ told Karsei.”

“What?”

“I told her. We, uh...had a bet,” he invents, and at least it’s a _half-truth_. “Y’know, ‘cause she didn’t think Nerissa could do it, and I said, like, no way, Nerissa can do _anything_ , so we put some money on it and I just wanted—you know, I just wanted to cash in, and I guess I forgot to let her know to keep it a secret.”

Actually, he told her because _Nerissa getting acceptance to Princeton or some other stupid Ivy League school_ was one of the deadlines on the _actual_ betting pool. They were trying to decide if the acceptance itself was the deadline, or if it was whenever Ada heard about it.

Well, that doesn’t seem to matter _now_.

“She told you?”

“Yeah. I don’t think she told anyone else, though.”

“That doesn’t _really_ make me feel any better.” She sighs, dropping her hands into her lap and her gaze with them. “Why wouldn’t she say anything? How long has it been?”

Emmet counts it out in his head. “Five days?”

“Jesus.”

“Listen,” he says. Then stops, because is it _really_ his job to explain Nerissa’s ass-backwards logic? Well. Maybe. It’ll probably piss Ada off less to hear it from him than from Nerissa herself.

Ada plugs her phone into the stereo, still not looking at him. “Are you going to finish that thought or not?”

“Yeah.” He frowns. “Just—let’s go for now. I’ll buy you whatever you want, just stop making that _face_.”

“I’m not making a face,” she grumbles, but the tension between her eyes fades, the pull of lips relaxes. Finally, she puts her seatbelt on and shifts the car into drive.

By now, everyone else has already left—Emmet will never _not_ be impressed by the ability of students to clear out the school entirely in under fifteen minutes—so there isn’t much traffic to fight on the way out. Ada’s shitty music—which is admittedly, not _actually_ shitty, though Emmet certainly won’t be saying so anytime soon—is all that muffles the volume of their silence.

He thinks while she drives, unsure of whether he should be cursing Nerissa, Karsei, or himself for this mess. Honesty _is_ generally the best policy, but, in this case, it wasn’t exactly his truth to tell. And Nerissa is going to be _pissed_ , but, then, isn’t she always? And, anyway, this _is_ her fault—even if he and Karsei made some mistakes along the way. Well, especially him. But Karsei didn’t have to say anything, either, so it’s not like it’s _all_ his fault. Normally, he’s actually pretty good at keeping a secret.

Ada has strange little comfort habits. Like, she’ll clean her whole room and throw a bunch of shit in the trash and walk away feeling _good_ about herself. Or sometimes she’ll read a book, like it’s somehow a _relaxing_ pastime. By far her weirdest, though, is that she only eats McDonalds if she’s upset. Maybe it’s a relic of her childhood or something. Adonis does, after all, hate fast food. Cleo probably would have too, so it would have been a real treat when she _did_ get it. But whether that’s _comforting_ , Emmet really doesn’t know.

Whatever, though. Emmet stopped trying to _get_ Ada a long time ago.

Rather than parking, she goes through the drive-thru. Emmet hands her his wallet without question—he _did_ say he would buy her anything, after all, didn’t he? That was pretty fucking stupid of him—and she buys them large fries to share and ice cream for herself, which is, like, even more alarming than the rest of it because ice cream is something _sad_ people eat, and Emmet didn’t realize that Ada was _sad_ on top of whatever else she is right now. Damn it, Nerissa. Why does she always leave _him_ to deal with this shit?

Really, he knows it’s because Nerissa just doesn’t…realize. She might know that Ada is going to be put out by this turn of events, but she’ll never get _why_ until someone spells it out for her—and even _then_ she probably won’t, because God forbid Nerissa ever be _wrong_ about something.

But, either way, Emmet can’t tell her, or he’d lose his money. And after everything he’s been through for these two, he _deserves_ a little cash.

Ada parks them in the lot once they’re through, to which Emmet raises an eyebrow.

“I just didn’t want to go inside,” she defends.

Emmet snorts. “Yeah, all right. Can I have my wallet back?”

She passes it across the console and he drops it down on his lap.

“Okay,” he says. “Here’s what I know. It’s not _much_ , mind you—”

“Just tell me,” she snaps, and it _must_ be serious, because Ada never sounds like…like _that_.

“Okay.” He swallows, suddenly unable to keep looking at her. “Well, Nerissa thinks you’ll be mad at her. Because she’s not going to NYU. _That’s_ what I got out of it, anyway. There’s definitely more to it, though. I guess she’s just worried you’ll feel left behind.”

But when he finally glances up at her, Ada looks livid.

“Are you kidding me?” She stabs the spoon into her ice cream with a force that is surely much stronger than necessary. “Does she even know me at all? Why would that make me _mad_? God! She doesn’t even think of anyone but _herself_.”

Well, _yeah_ , but—“She _was_ trying,” Emmet points out. “A bit misguided, sure, but she’s really just worried about you.”

“Yeah, worried I’ll be a _bitch_ to her.” Ada scoffs. “If she wasn’t going to tell me, you should have. I’d’ve rather heard it from you than _Circe_.”

Emmet sort of doubts that, but he doesn’t say so. Instead, he says, “It’s not her fault Circe knew, though. Pretty sure that’s _my_ fault.”

“Then maybe she shouldn’t have told you either!”

“Who else was she supposed to tell?”

She turns to look at him, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Oh.” Yeah, okay, that was a pretty stupid thing to say. “Other than you, I mean. Since she wasn’t going to do that anyway, apparently.”

“Ugh, I can’t believe you! You’re not _siding_ with her, are you?”

“Whoa, what?” He furrows his eyebrows at her. “Who said anything about sides?”

“Well, you keep _defending_ her—”

“I’m not saying that! Seriously, I think she’s being stupid. I _told_ her to tell you. It wasn’t my place to do it for her! What was I supposed to do? I only told Karsei because it was for a stupid bet, and I didn’t think she’d go spreading it around. I’ll admit that that was a poor judgement on my part! But it is _not_ my responsibility to communicate with you for Nerissa _or_ the other way around. You know as well as I do that she’s no good at talking and shit. She’s not even gonna know you were upset at all if you don’t tell her, and I sure as fuck am not telling her _for_ you.”

Ada turns her head towards the driver’s side window, but Emmet doesn’t miss the look on her face before she does. _Great_.

“Don’t cry over it, Ada. _Seriously_. I know it sucks, but—”

“I’m _fine_ ,” she says, but it is obviously much duller than she meant it to be. “Why should I even be upset about it? I’ve known for— _years_ that…” She shakes her head. Emmet watches as the tension drains from her shoulders. “Whatever. I don’t _care_. She can do what she wants. If she doesn’t want it to be my business, then _fine_.”

“She _does_ , though,” he points out. “She’s just scared, that’s all.”

“And I’m _not_?” She lifts a hand and rubs at her eyes before facing him again. “I do get it. Honestly. I’m just…I’m tired of thinking of her feelings all the time when she doesn’t even _notice_ mine.”

Maybe now would be a good time to just _tell_ her. Like, _actually, you both do that_ , but he’s already dug his hole, hasn’t he? Besides, he’s invested a lot more money in this than he’d like to admit by now. At first, it was just him saying they _would_ get together, and soon. _Now_ , if they get together _too_ soon, he’ll lose his money. Or if they get together in circumstances unrelated to prom. He also gets the feeling that they won’t lie for him about this just so he can get his money back.

He doesn’t _like_ to see Ada so down, but she’ll get over it, won’t she? They do this sometimes about things. It’s just a normal consequence of presumed unrequited love. Or whatever. He thinks.

“Maybe she’ll come around,” he suggests. “She said she just needed some time to figure out how to tell you, so maybe, uh…give her some time, and then she will. Right?”

Ada sighs. “Maybe. I feel like I’ve given her a lot of time, though, you know.”

Years and years, really.

“Yeah,” Emmet says, then pauses. “Uh, are you gonna finish that?”

She shoots him a dirty look. “ _Yes_. When your crush starts treating you like shit I’ll get you ice cream, but I think I deserve it a bit more right now, thanks.”

“That’s not fair,” he protests. “I don’t _have_ a crush.”

“Good for you.”

He laughs and is pleased to see that her lips twitch up a bit too.

It isn’t as bad as it could be, he reasons. He just has to have faith that Nerissa will keep her word.

*

Nerissa does not keep her word.

It should hardly surprise Emmet, but it does, just a bit. The days stretch into weeks, and then they are halfway through April. There are just three weeks, now, until their final high school band concert, five until their prom, and ten until they graduate. Well, graduation doesn’t matter so much to Emmet, not at this point.

Who knew he’d be one of those prom-obsessed teens after all?

Today, though, is Ada’s birthday.

At first, Ada was doing a fine job of acting unaffected by Nerissa’s silence on the whole _Princeton_ thing. The gossip doesn’t seem to have spread any further, either—not that Emmet thinks Nerissa would even know if it _did_ , she’s so dense—so, for the most part, they are able to act like nothing is going on. But the days went on. And on. And on.

And now Emmet knows he isn’t imagining the tension between his two friends. But he already said he wouldn’t communicate _for_ them, and he’s not about to go back on that just because they’re driving him insane right now. No matter how badly he _wants_ to.

“Just let them sort it out,” Isobel advises him. “It’s not your responsibility to solve their own mistakes. Although, I _do_ hope you’re working to solve _yours_.”

Well, he gave Karsei shit, if _that’s_ what she means.

Ada’s birthday is usually a grand event. She makes a big deal out of things like this, if only because she _can_. Also, maybe, because her childhood birthdays were miserable. But that was every day, with her mom around. Emmet sort of gets it, but he’s never been big into the whole gift thing like Ada is. In fact, he’s really _bad_ at giving gifts.

He’s tried, today, though. He _has_ been paying attention to her when she says she _wants_ something, after all. He just hopes that she’s in a better mood by the time she opens it than she was this morning.

They come to her house a few hours after school. Her other aunt, Amery, is here too, and her grandparents (on her dad’s side, that is). Today, Emmet and Isobel are ahead of the Smiths, but Emmet can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad one just yet.

Mostly, Ada is in an agreeable mood, which is an improvement from when they were at school today. She greets them with a smile—a little tight around the corners, but genuine, at least—and has them come into the sitting room while her dad and Avery work in the kitchen preparing dinner for them all.

Isobel immediately drifts over to Amery and Ada’s grandparents. They live a few hours away, but they always come for holidays and the like. Emmet doesn’t know them _well_ , but his mother has always gotten along with them. Amery is the youngest of the Archer siblings, and the closest to Isobel in age.

Before Ada can settle in with Emmet, though, the doorbell rings. Briefly, she looks annoyed, but the look goes away as quickly as it comes.

“I’ll get it,” she calls out—pointlessly, because nobody else is moving to do so otherwise.

Emmet watches her cautiously as she exits the room. The sound of the door opening and closing, followed by warm greetings, reaches his ears, and then steps down the hall towards them. Ada is in front, immediately followed by Nerissa and Poseidon. Adrienne and Ely must have stopped by the kitchen to speak to Adonis and Avery.

Poseidon drops a gift bag and a small, wrapped box in the table where the other gifts have gone. While he does, Ada perches on the arm of the couch where Emmet is sitting, steadfastly ignoring Nerissa as she tries to catch her attention.

“Hi, Amery,” Poseidon says loudly, dragging Nerissa across the room with him even as she looks over her shoulder at Ada, a sort of heavy desperation clouding her gaze.

“You shouldn’t be pissed on your birthday,” Emmet tells her.

She rolls her eyes. “Well, I wouldn’t be, if she would just grow up.”

Somehow, Emmet doesn’t think this is just about college anymore.

“Why don’t you just say something to _her_?”

“I shouldn’t have to!” She crosses her arms over her chest. “Anyway, I _told_ you. She’s never paid attention to my feelings before. I’m just sick of it. Why should I have to keep spelling it out for her?”

But they _both_ know that’s not true. Okay, Nerissa can be oblivious, and a bit of a jerk to boot, but her heart is always in the right place. Besides, she thinks of Ada a _lot_. Knows when Ada needs to get out of the house, knows when she is upset, when she’s stressed, when she needs to see a long Twitter thread of cat videos. Nerissa isn’t _naturally_ empathetic, not like her brother is. She misses a lot of pretty obvious cues. But she _is_ always looking.

Emmet wants to get it—and he sort of does—but it’s difficult to imagine the thoughts that go through his friends’ heads. They’ve known each other for so long; he can never imagine a world where they _aren’t_ all best friends.

Clearly, he’s waited too long to respond to her, because she huffs. “I just want to move on and be done with it, all right? It’s not like…I mean, I know she’s not _going_ anywhere, but it isn’t on me to apologize.”

“Well, sure,” he says. “It would be pretty stupid to apologize when you haven’t done anything to need to. But she doesn’t know you know. And if it weren’t for my big mouth, you wouldn’t even know in the first place.”

“That’s not the point, though.”

“Isn’t it?”

She drops her hands to her lap, sighing. “I just don’t want her to think I would be anything but happy for her. I mean, maybe I would be, but…”

“Then maybe you’re not as good at concealing your feelings as you think,” he points out. “And, anyway, she probably doesn’t want to leave you, either. She just, you know…has big dreams and all that.”

“I guess, but—”

“Dinner’s ready!” Adonis calls from the next room.

Ada makes a face, but gets up from her perch and glances down at him expectantly.

As he gets to his feet, he says, “Just talk to her or something. It would make literally everyone else feel better.”

She watches him for a moment, then seems to deflate slightly. “You think so?”

“Uh, _yes_.”

A pause, considering. Then: “Fine, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m not going to forgive her if she isn’t really sorry.”

He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. I’m not getting in the middle of it. I’m just saying, you drive everyone else crazy.”

“Ugh, shut up. _You_ drive _me_ crazy.” But she’s smiling, so Emmet thinks she can’t _really_ mean that.

They follow the group to the kitchen and Ada takes her place at the head of the table. Thankfully, there are enough of them that, though Nerissa clearly wants to sit beside her, she simply can’t get there soon enough. Medea and Adonis flank her sides and, defeated, Nerissa slides down at Emmet’s left side.

“Don’t look so depressed,” he advises her as Avery places the salad down on the table in front of them. “It’s a fricking _birthday party_ , dude.”

The look she shoots him is pure irritation. “Oh, easy for _you_ to say. At least the birthday girl _likes_ you.”

Emmet wonders if it would be worth getting his blood pressure checked.

“She likes you just fine. Maybe she would like you even more if you told her your deep dark secrets?”

“’Deep dark secrets’? Are you kidding me?”

Across from them, Emmet hears Adrienne ask, “So, Ada, your prom’s getting pretty close, isn’t it? Do you have a date yet?”

Ada is quiet for a moment, but when Emmet glances over at her, he sees the way her eyes have drifted to Nerissa, then back to Adrienne.

“Yes, actually,” she says, and both Emmet and Nerissa turn to stare at her with equal amounts of horror and bewilderment.

“What did you just say?” Emmet demands. “Why wasn’t I informed?”

She scowls. “What are you, my keeper? You don’t need to know everything that goes on in my life, you know. And, anyway, he only asked a couple days ago.”

“Well?” Adrienne urges, and there’s that mischievous glint in her eyes Emmet has come to learn over the years means nothing but trouble. “Who is it? He’s handsome, right?”

Adonis looks to her in outrage. “I’m sure they’re just going as _friends_ , Adrienne,” which of course makes half the table dissolve into laughter, because of _course_ they would be going as friends.

Emmet doesn’t think it’s very funny himself, though, and neither does Nerissa. She sets her fork down gently against her plate and leans over the table, looking to Ada with blazing blue eyes.

“But you wouldn’t have said so, anyway,” she says loudly, “would you have?”

Ada raises an eyebrow at her. “Oh, yeah? And you’re going to tell me off for that? Like my prom date is anywhere _near_ as big a deal as _you going to Princeton_?”

And, _of course_ , Nerissa’s looking at _Emmet_ now, as if this is _his_ fault.

“I told you I wasn’t—”

“Shut up,” he groans. “It’s not my fault. It’s been like half a month!”

“Yeah, Nerissa.” Ada narrows her eyes. “It _has_ been a while, hasn’t it?”

“I’m _sorry_ , Ada—”

“No you’re not!” Her voice is high, eyes shining under the kitchen light. “If you cared so much, you’d have told me weeks ago!”

“That’s why I _didn’t_ —”

“That’s stupid!” She stops, takes in a deep breath. “ _Whatever_. Orion asked me, if you really want to know, because Alisha can’t come. Happy?”

“Well, no—yes, I mean, but—”

Emmet puts a hand on her arm and shakes his head. Briefly, she meets his eyes, then ducks her head down and stays quiet.

“Oh,” says Adrienne awkwardly. “Well…that’s very good, Ada. He’s a nice kid.”

“Yeah,” Ada mutters. “And we are just friends.”

“It’s better to go to these things with friends,” Amery speaks up. “Since, um, sometimes relationships end a little messily. You want the memories to be good, right?”

Ada offers her aunt a small smile, as if to say, _They’ll be bad anyway, but thanks_.

The rest of their meal is a tense affair, only broken up by the occasional dialogue between the adults and Ada. Her grandparents seem mostly unbothered by whatever drama has unfolded, so they keep her engaged for the rest of the evening, from dinner to cake to everything that comes after. Nerissa, for her part, says nothing; her food remains untouched, and she declines the cake Avery tries to offer her.

Eventually, with the food cleared away, they all relocate to the next room so Ada can open her gifts. Being her eighteenth birthday, she’s gotten even more than usual (which is saying something, because she’s probably the most spoiled person Emmet knows). She begins with her parents’ gifts—the unfortunate package from her mother, including a card and some cash with what Emmet guesses is probably a stiff and unfeeling note that Ada will be feeling bad for until the end of the week, and something more personal from her father—and then moves on to the rest of her family’s.

When finally the pile that remains is from Emmet and his mother and the Smiths, she begins with Isobel’s. It’s nothing spectacular, but she refused to take any credit for Emmet’s gift just as much as she refused to come without bringing something for Ada. It has been like this for years now. Usually, Isobel will just give her a gift card or something, but this year she has given her a charm bracelet.

“I had one when I was your age,” she says. “I don’t wear it anymore, but I do remember it being a comfort when I left my family for the first time. There’s one for each of us, you see. So no matter where you are or what you’re doing…”

Ada lifts it up and inspects it with wondering eyes. Isobel didn’t consult Emmet at all on this gift—he only knew what it was beforehand because he asked her so many times—but she still did an excellent job in picking things out. Emmet can’t really say who each symbol is for, but maybe Ada does, because she finally looks up and smiles at Isobel, perhaps her first real smile all day.

“Thank you,” she says softly.

Isobel inclines her head slightly, but Emmet knows his mother well enough to see that she’s embarrassed by the gift and, too, by Ada’s tender gaze as she looks it over.

Ada clasps it around her wrist, then takes up Emmet’s gift. He’s gotten her one of those ridiculous teddy bears she’s always saying she wants whenever they’re at the pharmacy and taken great care to put the gift card for the overpriced clothing store she always shops at in the city, which makes her laugh.

“Didn’t know you had such an eye for these, Emmet,” she teases.

He scoffs. “Whatever. You’re welcome, I guess.”

But when she reaches for the gift from Adrienne, Ely, and Poseidon, she’s still smiling, to Emmet’s relief. It is only after she’s opened that that her smile disappears again.

The last present on the table is a small box with a card taped over the top of it. Emmet cranes his neck to see Nerissa, who is sitting on the floor at her father’s feet, looking anywhere other than Ada.

He turns back as Ada carefully pries the card off the box. She sets the box on her lap and focusses on the envelope instead, carefully opening the seal so as to not rip it. With a trembling hand, she takes the card out and opens it. Whatever’s written there must be a little wordy—unsurprisingly, all things considered—because she takes a long, tense moment to read it through. When finally she lifts her gaze from it, they are shining with tears again, but she doesn’t say anything, just reaches for the box.

She opens it and pulls out a golden chain. From the bottom of it dangles a circular locket, with what looks like some sort of constellation on it. She takes up the locket and eases it open, taking in an audible breath.

She drops it carefully back into the box and sets that aside with the card, then looks around the room quickly, a very obviously forced smile on her face.

“Thank you all so much,” she says, voice a little tight, like she’s trying hard not to cry.

Emmet couldn’t even count on two hands the amount of times Nerissa has made Ada cry. It’s not like it’s something she does intentionally; it’s just that Ada’s convinced herself that Nerissa can never love her the same way, though it’s pretty obvious to everyone else that she _does_. She’ll do things like…whatever this was, after all, and then, later, Ada will feel like an idiot for “reading too much into it.”

Maybe they need some intervention, but his mother is always saying that it’s not his business. Besides, he thinks things _are_ mostly fine now. It’s not as if Ada only cares about Nerissa because she has feelings for her. They’re best friends, even when they do make each other feel awful because one of them got into Princeton or the other one got a date to a school dance before Nerissa could work up the courage to ask her herself.

Emmet watches her as she exchanges brief pleasantries with the others. Her grandparents and aunt have to leave now, so she spends a bit of time speaking to them before they do. She talks to her father, too, probably about the card her mother sent her. She says something to Adrienne, Ely, and Poseidon, but they don’t seem to keep her talking for very long before they’re giving her hugs and pats on the shoulder and moving away from where Nerissa is sitting to go join Avery and Adonis as they pick up stray wrapping paper and gift bags.

They’re not close enough for Emmet to hear what either of them are saying, but he does see the hand Ada puts on Nerissa’s shoulder, the hand she offers to help her up to her feet. He sees their closeness as they wander to the next room, talking lowly, emotionally, about whatever the hell Nerissa wrote in that _card_.

Once he’s sure they’re gone, he rises and makes his way over to where Ada left her gifts. Adrienne is the first one who sees him, raising an eyebrow as he reaches for the card.

“Don’t you think she’s mad enough at you as it is?” she asks.

He snorts. “Which one?”

“Touché.” She grins. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you, but _my_ lips are sealed, at least.”

Not that that means much, when her words have drawn everyone _else’s_ attention his way. Still, nobody stops him, so he settles down on the couch where Ada was sitting just before and opens up the card.

The card itself isn’t that amazing, really, but the entire left side of it is covered in writing, which spills over to the next side:

_I know there are still a lot of things we haven’t done together yet and I know you’re worried that we’re starting to get too old, but we aren’t. It’s a bit cheap to write it here rather than just say it to your face, but I got my acceptance to Princeton a few weeks ago. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I just didn’t know how. It doesn’t change anything, though. You’re still my best friend, and we’re still going to do all that stuff together someday. Maybe we could even take that road trip this summer, like you always wanted._

_If you ever need me, I won’t be far. Happy birthday, Ada._

_Love, Nerissa._

It’s the worst heartfelt note Emmet has _ever_ read.

He puts that back in its envelope, then grabs the box and takes out the locket. He has a feeling he already knows what’s in it, but he opens it up anyway.

There’s a picture on one side and some cheesy quote on the other: _There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved_.

The picture, though, is one Emmet is pretty sure he took, but he can’t remember when or how Nerissa got a hold of it. It’s from last summer, a day they spent together with Nerissa’s family at the beach. Nerissa has always been a little afraid of the water, but Ada and Emmet convinced her to swim with them, just this once. The picture was taken at a picnic table on a grassy area overlooking the water, but both of them are sopping wet. Nerissa’s saying something to Ada that has her laughing, wet hair glittering like gold in the sun. They both were annoyed with him when they noticed him taking pictures, but what he had initially thought might make for a funny joke later actually turned out to be some pretty lovely photos.

Maybe he ought to feel left out, but he thinks that might be why Nerissa chose this picture specifically, when they all know Emmet is the one behind the camera. It’s not as if he would be overly offended anyway; he knows they both love him, but they’ve got a different sort of relationship, something that goes deeper than friendship and has for a very long time.

“She worried about it for weeks,” Adrienne suddenly says. When he looks up, she’s standing right in front of him, though the rest of her family seems to have congregated on the other side of the room.

“It’s a good gift.” He closes the locket again and lowers it back into its box. “I think they’ll probably be done fighting now, huh?”

Adrienne grimaces, then sits down beside him. “I _hope_ so. Did you really tell Ada?”

“Not directly, but yeah, kind of.”

To his surprise, she smiles. “Well, that’s all right. I probably would’ve told her too. Anyway, you know, there’s some extra cake in the kitchen. If you want it, I mean.”

Emmet wants to tell her that’s hardly subtle, but he figures there would be no point, so he just shrugs. “Yeah, all right. Thanks, Adrienne.”

Before anyone else can say a word to him, he rises and cuts across the room to get to the kitchen. As he approaches, he hears Ada laugh.

“He was really nice about it, honestly! I wasn’t just going to say _no_.”

“Well, you could’ve,” Nerissa points out, not unkindly. “I’m sure he could’ve found someone else. Besides, you’ll probably have to dance together anyway. From what I’ve heard, he’ll be the prom king to your queen.”

When Emmet gets around the corner, he sees them at the counter, a piece of cake between them. He suspects that Ada got it for Nerissa, since she didn’t have any with everybody else.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” There’s a hint of mischief in her voice that remains in her gaze as she looks up at Emmet. “Hey. Want some cake?”

“Sounds like you’re feeling better,” he remarks, coming to the opposite side of the counter and sitting at one of the two tall chairs there. “And no thanks.”

“Well, we talked a bit.” Ada sighs, smile falling. “I guess you were right.”

“You sound surprised.”

“Not...exactly. I just…”

“It’s fine,” Nerissa says quickly. “I get it. I would’ve been pissed too. It wasn’t fair. I just—I didn’t want to upset you or...anything. I just…”

“I get it,” Ada says, and Emmet’s sure she does. “I should’ve said something too. Anyway, I was going to tell you guys about Orion too, I just...wasn’t ready.” She smiles ruefully. “So, yeah. I get it.”

Nerissa nods, then glances over at Emmet. “So you’re coming with me, right?”

“Huh?”

She rolls her eyes. “To prom?”

“What, you’re just assuming I don’t have a date either?”

“Well, do you?”

He huffs. “Well, no, but _still_.”

“Great. Then, you’re coming with me.”

Ada snorts, but says nothing as Emmet shakes his head fondly.

“All right, then. Just make sure your expectations aren’t too high.”

“With you?” Nerissa laughs. “Yeah, I doubt it. Blue, all right? If we’re going to match.”

“Everything’s all about you,” he complains, though he can’t quite keep the grin off his face. “But I’m glad you guys made up. Seriously.”

She considers him for a moment, and then says, “Me too, but I think we need to have a talk about a little bet someone tells me you made?”

 _Uh-oh_.

He nods, resigned to his fate. All he can hope for, now, is that he’ll win the _real_ bet, so all this shit is worth it.

*

The day of their final band concert—their final band concert _ever_ —is bright and sunny. The first week of May, most of the students have begun to grow restless in their waiting for summer break. On the other side of this is Nerissa, who they hardly see at all after Ada’s birthday because she’s studying so much. As if they would _rescind_ her acceptance or something.

Ada and Emmet spend most of their free time together. When they _are_ with Nerissa, she’s making them study—even though it’s been so _nice_ out.

It’s the first Friday of May. As the senior band, they’ll be the last to perform, so for now they sit in the audience together and watch the lower grades.

“Aww, look,” says Ada, pointing through the crowd. “There’s Poseidon.”

Emmet follows her finger to see him, curly black hair instantly recognizable amongst the others in the freshman band. Though all the other years each have at least two, he’s the only oboist in the ninth grade. He holds the intrsument close to him, reed between his lips.

“He sticking with it next year?” Emmet asks Nerissa, who’s sitting on his right side.

“I think so.” She shrugs. “He thinks Ryes is crazy, though.”

“Well, he is, a bit.”

She laughs. “Yeah, a bit. I’ll miss him, though.”

“He’ll probably miss you too,” Emmet points out. “You’re obviously his favourite.”

“Shame you’re not going into music,” Ada muses.

“Yeah, but he used to teach world history too, you know. He says he’s excited for me.”

Emmet rolls his eyes. “Yeah. _Favourite student_ , like I said.”

Before she gets a chance to say anything, she’s cut off by the sound of the tuba resonating through the room, and then the other instruments too. Silence falls over the crowd as the kids go through a quick warm-up, and then Ryes is leading them into their first song.

The last concert of the year, it’s a little lengthier of a repertoire than usual. The freshmen play four songs, and then the sophomores play three, though the pieces themselves are longer.

After the sophomore band is finished, there’s a brief intermission. The juniors take their places where the last band was sat while the seniors head back to the band room to ready themselves for their turn.

Nerissa hoists her bassoon up, clipping it to the harness. Emmet leans against the wall and watches her, while Ada, say on the floor on the other side of Nerissa, tunes the piccolo.

“Awful instrument,” Emmet says, which makes Nerissa snort.

“Just be thankful you get to stand so far away from it.”

“I can _hear_ you guys, you know.” Ada stands up now, huffing. “It’s not _that_ bad.”

“It helps that you’re good at it,” Nerissa says.

Ugh, Emmet _hates_ when she talks like that. Like Ada’s the sweetest thing since granulated sugar.

And Ada flushes, too, looking pleased, like it isn’t _obvious_ Nerissa thinks she’s the best at everything she does.

This is another one of those things people thought might get them together. Emmet can sort of see why they might think so—they have, after all, all been in band together since middle school—but it’s not like they’ll be going to the big party that will almost certainly be taking place tonight. Actually, they’ll probably go back to Emmet’s house and play shitty games until one of them (Nerissa, probably) passes out. Because, really, they aren’t so different now from how they were when they started band, in middle school.

While Nerissa and Ada talk about their upcoming performance, someone taps Emmet on the shoulder. He glances over to see Karsei, frowning at him.

“Can we talk?”

Ada and Nerissa have stopped talking. Both of them, he notes with some amusement, are looking at Karsei in decided irritation.

“Sure,” he says. Then, to Ada and Nerissa: “I’ll be, like, two minutes.”

They don’t argue, so he lets Karsei lead him to the other side of the room. She’s left her purse by the cabinet here, and he watches as she pulls something from it.

The list they’ve been keeping of names and dates.

“So, like, I’m going to be out of town at least ‘til prom. Unless something happens tonight, I’ll need you to look after this.”

He takes it, raising an eyebrow at her. “Where are you going?”

“Family business.” She seems to hesitate for a moment, then says, “I’ll give you the money too, before you go home tonight. I locked it in my car, so…”

“But they’ll be with me,” he points out. “They’ll want to know why I have all that money.”

“Well, just give it to someone else, then. I don’t care. But we’re leaving right after this and I didn’t want to just leave it for who knows how long. I’ll take it back from you if nothing happens before I get back, but, well…”

Her dad’s family lives in fucking _Greece_.

“Yeah, all right.” He sighs. “I hope things are all right.”

She grimaces. “Me too. Thanks, by the way.”

It’s not like he really has a choice, but he shrugs and says, “Yeah, sure,” anyway.

With that, she seems content to leave him well enough alone. He glances over the paper, then folds it up and sticks it in the front pocket of his dress pants.

When he returns to where Ada and Nerissa are, they both look to him expectantly, as if they’re expecting him to _say_ something.

After a moment of silence, Nerissa ventures, “You know, you’ve spent a lot of time with Karsei this year, haven’t you?”

“Uh, I guess.”

“Do you…?”

“Huh?” He frowns at her, then scowls as her meaning registers. “Hell no. You don’t think you’re gonna get out of being my prom date that easily, do you?”

She flushes. “No! That’s not what I meant—”

“Sounds like she won’t be here anyway,” Emmet continues, ignoring her protests. “She, uh…wanted me to send her bio notes, ‘cause she’s gotta go away for a while. Don’t we have to get going before they start again?”

Nerissa and Ada both eye him uncertainly, but neither argue about it, thankfully. Though it is really not such a thick sheet, the paper in his pocket feels heavy. He can only hope that neither of them saw Karsei pass it off to him.

By the time they get back to the seats reserved for their band, there are about two minutes left in the intermission, according to his watch. They sit in silence with their instruments and wait for the junior band to begin.

Having to sit with their sections now, Emmet finds himself quite distanced from Ada and Nerissa, to his relief. The time passes quickly and then they are rising in well-rehearsed lines and filing up to the stage. They have just a little more to play than the other bands, beginning with Holst and ending with Hazo. It is their last concert, after all; and they have, mostly, all been playing with each other since middle school.

As expected, Ada’s solo goes flawlessly. In fact, most of it does. There’s a general sense, by the time they reach the end of their final piece, that they’ve done the best, well, _ever_. It has the audience on their feet while Ryes turns to address them for the final time of the night—of the year.

Most of the crowd is quick to disperse at the end, but Emmet catches their parents near the back talking to each other. He glances around at his fellow band members as they stack chairs and music stands, then slips away to get to where Adonis, Adrienne, and Isobel are.

Adrienne sees him first, a massive smile overtaking her face.

“Good job!” she says, and Adonis and Isobel turn to look at him too. “You know, it’ll be weird not to all get together for these things.”

“Maybe we’ll keep coming,” Adonis muses. “Until Poseidon graduates, at least.”

“Jeez, don’t say stuff like that.” Adrienne laughs. “What in the world will I do once he’s that old? God, I can’t imagine.”

Suddenly, from behind, Ada says, “Where’s Aunt Avery?”

Emmet just barely manages to keep from jumping, but he turns and shoots her a glare, which she steadfastly ignores.

“Dunno.” Adrienne frowns. “Ely’s with Poseidon. Maybe she’s with them?”

“Let’s go find her,” Adonis suggests, stepping closer to Ada. “Very nice work,” he adds as they begin to walk away. “I keep telling you aunt, you really should find a community band to play in when you go to college…”

“Where’d Nerissa go?” Emmet asks, looking around to try to spot her in the shrinking crowd.

“Probably with her dad,” Adrienne says easily. “Did you want to go find her?”

He shakes his head. “That’s fine. I’ll find them again later.”

Isobel seems to consider him for a moment before asking, “Should I meet you at home, then?”

“Uh, sure, but—actually, can you do me a favour?”

She raises an eyebrow at him. “What do you need?”

Well, this might be difficult to explain. He looks from his mother to Adrienne awkwardly.

“There’s, uh…some money somebody’s giving me to look after. Like, a lot of it. Actually.”

“Just how much are you talking?” Adrienne’s voice is all amusement.

“Uh…” He fishes the paper from his pocket an scans it quickly. “A few thousand, looks like.”

“This isn’t something drug-related, is it?” Isobel frowns at him. “I am willing to do many things for you, but assisting you in drug trafficking is not one of them.”

He blinks, affronted. “What, you don’t seriously think that, do you?”

“Well, is it?”

“No!” He shakes his head. “Look, it’s just—it’s this stupid betting pool, all right? Half our class has put money into it, and it’s sorta my fault the whole thing happened, so…”

“Betting pool!” Adrienne laughs. “What is it? Sports? Prom king and queen? Valedictorian, maybe?”

“Everyone knows Nerissa will be valedictorian,” Emmet mutters. “No, it’s not… Look, you just can’t tell Nerissa, all right? _Or_ Ada.”

Adrienne’s eyes light up in excitement. “It’s about them, is it?”

He looks hesitantly to his mother, who simply shrugs. With a small sigh, he nods.

“Yeah, we’ve been putting money on when they’ll get together.” He hands the paper over to her. “It’ll probably go way up again after today, ‘cause a bunch of people thought this might be it but, well, y’know.”

“Oh, that’s _brilliant_.” And from the look on her face, Emmet can tell she really thinks so. “Prom, huh? No wonder you were so annoyed that Ada got asked out and didn’t tell you.”

“I doubt Nerissa would’ve done it anyway,” Emmet admits. “She talked about it a bunch, but she couldn’t even tell her to her face she was going to Princeton.”

“I’m sure they won’t be very pleased when they find out about this,” Isobel says quietly. “But I can take it for you, yes.”

“They’ll get over it.” Adrienne waves a dismissive hand and passes the sheet back to Emmet. “We keep saying they need a push, anyway. Your secret’s safe with me.”

Emmet never really doubted that, honestly.

“Cool, thanks.” He turns back to his mother. “Let’s go find her, then.”

She nods. “Have a nice evening, Adrienne.”

“You too. Thanks for taking Nerissa.”

“It’s always our pleasure.” She smiles. “Come, Emmet.”

They find Karsei by the doors. He briefly introduces her to Isobel, and then he allows her to lead them out to the parking lot. She unlocks the door, then fishes up another, smaller key to open up the glove compartment. There, in a Ziploc bag, is all the money. Bills from one to one hundred, pennies and dimes and quarters floating loosely amongst the green sea.

“I had no idea your classmates were so invested in Nerissa and Ada’s relationship,” Isobel murmurs as she accepts the bag.

Karsei laughs. “Well, we’ve known they would wind up together since forever. I don’t think either of us expected to wind up with so much money, though. It’ll be a real task once we have to figure out who gets what.”

“I imagine.”

Something in her tone tells Emmet that she doesn’t really sympathize with him. At all.

“I will see you at home, then. Don’t be too long. Good night, Karsei.”

With that, she turns and walks away, leaving Emmet with Karsei as she slams the passenger side door shut and looks up at him.

“Your mom seems intense,” she remarks.

Emmet rolls his eyes. “Yeah, ‘til you see her watching daytime soap operas, anyway. Uh, thanks, though. And safe travels.”

She smiles. “Thanks. Have a nice night, Emmet.”

She makes her way to the other side of her car and climbs in. In a matter of seconds, she is gone. With just the sheet of numbers and dates and names, Emmet turns back to go find Nerissa and Ada.

*

He does manage to keep the secret for the next couple weeks. He leaves the sheet in his room, while the money itself stays with Isobel. She never says anything about it, but Emmet knows she still disapproves; it would be hard _not_ to tell, when she’s always giving him that _look_.

It doesn’t matter, though. He’s wanted out of this thing for a long time now, but what choice does he have? He could be hundreds of dollars richer in just a matter of days if he doesn’t back out now.

The day of their prom comes faster than any of them are expecting. Karsei still hasn’t returned from Greece (a topic that their classmates have been unable to stay quiet on since she left. Apparently she bought a pretty flashy dress for prom, and now she won’t get to wear it), so Emmet finds himself the one collecting bills and taking names.

It’s exhausting work.

Since Ada is going with someone else, they don’t see her that afternoon. It’s a beautiful May Saturday, nearly tipping into June. As they decided about a week ago, Nerissa comes to Emmet’s house so they can get ready to go together. And, also, so Isobel can do Nerissa’s hair; Adrienne admitted long ago that she’s practically useless where these things are concerned.

She comes with her dress on its hanger and in its covering. He _still_ hasn’t seen it, though she’s been quite insistent on exactly how _he_ should look. His mother advises him, wisely, that it’s best not to argue. Together, they concluded that Nerissa probably is more excited for prom than she’d like anybody to really know. And Emmet doesn’t think that’s just to do with Ada, either.

Nerissa isn’t really the _girly_ type. She never has been. To their classmates, she’s always been the nerdy know-it-all, a bit obnoxious but the best person to go to during study hall for help. But Emmet likes to think that, after all these years, he knows her pretty well, and he knows that she’s always been very aware of how she _looks_. So maybe even if it isn’t exactly her “thing,” the chance to feel like she really looks _good_ is one she can’t pass up. Which is ridiculous, obviously, since she _always_ looks good.

Emmet lets her change in his room while he waits with his mother by the kitchen table. She seems to have taken her job as Nerissa’s impromptu hairstylist very seriously; she’s laid out all sort of different tools. He didn’t even think she _owned_ a curling iron, but apparently she does.

“Hey, Emmet,” Nerissa calls from down the hall, “can you come here?”

He finds her just outside the door, both hands behind her back. Before he can really get a look at her super stupid expensive fancy dress, she turns and brings her hands in front of her. Glancing over her shoulder at him, she says, “Just zip it up the rest of the way, would you?”

He does, but when she turns around again, it is not her dress that catches his attention.

She waves the piece of paper in front of him with a raised eyebrow. “Care to explain?”

“Uh.” He swallows nervously. “Uh, you look really nice?”

And she _does_. Her dress is baby blue, with long silken sleeves. Though there are no straps, the top of it is covered in small fake flowers, a slightly darker blue than the rest of the dress, but other than a similar thing at her waist—except these flowers are white—it is not in any was _bedazzled_. Near the bottom, as she shifts on her feet, the colours seem to move between light blue and aquamarine. It’s simple yet beautiful, very much like Nerissa herself.

Unfortunately, Nerissa’s not having any of it.

“Oh, shut up.” She crosses her arms over her chest, paper still clutched firmly in her right hand. “I wouldn’t have looked, except our names are all over it. Actually, _everyone’s_ names are all over it. I don’t even know who all these people _are_.”

“Well, some of them are underclassmen,” he says, feeling suddenly very small. “Most of them aren’t, though.”

“That’s not telling me much!”

“Just—just—it’s _nothing_ , really. I’ll tell you later?”

She just stares at him.

 _Stupid Karsei_.

“Look,” he starts. Stops. “Okay, so, uh. What exactly did Ada tell you about the whole Princeton thing?”

“The— What? That can’t be what this is about, is it? What, were you betting when I’d _tell_ her?”

“No!” He snatches the paper from her hand before she can do something crazy like crumple it up. “God, no. I just—I _told_ Ada that we had been betting on, uh, whether or not you _would_ get accepted, but that’s not completely true.”

“But you _have_ been betting about something?” She sighs, but she doesn’t sound _mad_. Not like Ada would be, anyway. “I mean, I don’t care. You can tell me. Well, unless it’s something _rude_ , but I trust you, so—”

“It’s not rude,” he says quickly. “Seriously.”

And, _dammit_ , she’s really going to make him tell the truth, isn’t she? He was so close to the end of this stupid thing, too!

“So, what is it, then? It _is_ about me?”

“And Ada.” He looks down at the paper, deflating. “Look, it’s just—you’re not really—well, you’re kinda _obvious_ , you know. We’ve all known for years that you’ve got feelings for her, so…we just put down a couple dollars, you know. I said you’d be together by the end of the year, and then some others disagreed, and then…well, it just kept growing. People started guessing when it would happen and it just got a bit out of control.”

For a very long moment, she just _looks_ at him. The way she sometimes looks at her physics homework, like she can’t believe someone would write such a _stupid_ question in a _textbook_ , and then—

She _laughs_.

“Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess.” She shrugs. “We both know even if I did tell her, we wouldn’t actually get together, but it’s nice that so many people think she would like me back?”

He opens his mouth, then closes it, stunned.

Is she _really_ that thick?

Even as he thinks it, though, he knows she…well, she _is_. He could tell her outright any of the things Ada has told him over the years about her and she would _still_ find a way to deny it. As if “I’m so in love with her” is _contestable_.

“You really had me worried for a second,” she continues, relief in her every breath. “It’s not so bad, though, you’re right. Anyway, I guess you should get ready while your mom does my hair, right?”

With that, she stalks past him, as if she has not a care in the world.

Should he be relieved? Annoyed? It’s so hard to tell; some part of him is far from surprised, but, then, too, he thinks she ought to be…well, she ought to be _something_. Whether upset or maybe even _pleased_ because—doesn’t this, this paper, the thousands of dollars attached to it, prove that Ada loves her too?

All he can really think, though, is that Nerissa is so _fucking stupid_.

Sighing, he turns and enters his room. Dropping the sheet on his bedside table again, he begins collecting the pieces of the stupid tux they rented for this stupid dance.

By the time he is presentable, Isobel is still hard at work on Nerissa’s hair. He sits down beside them and watches as she twists and pulls and ties. Nerissa, for her part, says nothing, but she hardly looks _comfortable_.

“I’m almost finished,” Isobel assures her. “Emmet _did_ get you a corsage, by the way… He’s just forgotten about it, apparently.”

“I didn’t forget,” he protests, though he totally did. They picked it up shortly before Nerissa got here, after all, and she still hasn’t even seen it.

Nerissa’s lips twitch up a bit. “Well, that’s fine. I wasn’t even sure if he _would_ get one, honestly.”

“You really think I’m that bad of a date?”

“Well, no, but it’s not like you’re _really_ my date.”

He huffs. “Like hell I’m not. Just because I’m not your boyfriend doesn’t mean I can’t be a kickass date. Just watch.”

She looks like she’s trying hard not to laugh at that. “Sure,” is all she says, though. “I’ll be watching, then.”

Well, _really_. How hard can it really be?

Finally, Isobel pulls away, looking satisfied. She has somehow managed to curl Nerissa’s hair even _more_ than usual, in perfect ringlets framing her face. The rest of her hair has been twisted up above her head in an intricate— _complicated_ —bun. Emmet had no idea his mother was so good at this sort of thing. Where did she even _learn_ that?

“What do you think?” She passes a small handheld mirror to Nerissa over her shoulder. Emmet watches as Nerissa inspects herself, then as she smiles widely and passes the mirror back to Isobel.

“It looks so good! Thank you, Isobel.”

“Of course,” she says warmly. “Now, I left the keys on the counter, but you two aren’t going anywhere until I’ve taken some pictures. Adrienne and Ely would never let it go if I didn’t.”

That’s just her excuse, of course, but Emmet won’t say anything about it. He’s sure she’ll have pictures in frames before they even get back home, though. Like, at _least_ ninety-nine percent sure.

The corsage—blue, like her dress and his tie—are the boutonniere are the last pieces. They’ve got plenty of time for Isobel to take all the pictures she wants, and she does, looking immensely pleased with herself.

“You’ll get pictures with Ada too, yes? Do make sure you can get a hold of them for us, _mijito_. Perhaps we can compare them to your kindergarten graduation photos.”

Nerissa snorts as Emmet groans.

“I really have been stuck with you forever, haven’t I?”

She shoves him lightly in the arm. “Be careful what you say, Mr. Perfect Date. I’m watching, remember?”

He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, all right. So, are we good to go?”

Isobel holds the keys up for him, but draws her hand back as he reaches for them.

“Not a dent or a scratch, you hear me?” She narrows her eyes at him. “I’ll know if you do anything you shouldn’t, mind.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

She considers him a moment longer, then passes the keys over. Like her Acura is really _that_ great, anyway. It’s, like, seven years old now.

He turns back to Nerissa. “Ready?”

Suddenly, she looks a little nervous. “Um, yeah, I guess so.”

“You’re acting like such a girl,” he complains. “It’ll be fine.”

“Well, I _am_ a girl, so it figures I’d act like one.” There she is, the same old Nerissa as always, irritated by something stupid he said. “Let’s go, then. Come on.”

And then she’s the one leading the way out of the house, stopping at the door to begin the painstaking process of putting on her shoes. Emmet doesn’t really think she’s graceful enough for heels, but he certainly won’t say so; he hardly wants to _actually_ annoy her.

They call their good-byes to Isobel and then make their way outside. The car is parked on the street there for them. It’s even been freshly washed, as if either of them really would have cared either way.

He unlocks the doors, then hurries ahead of Nerissa to open the door for her. She rolls her eyes at him, but he just grins.

“What did I tell you? I’m a _great_ date.”

She closes the door on him.

Huffing, he comes around to the other side and gets in. As he starts the car and fastens his seatbelt, Nerissa asks, “Do you even know where we going?”

“Uh…yes?”

“I think your negatives are currently outweighing your positives,” she murmurs, “All right, well, I’ll tell you where to turn. I’ve already been there half a dozen times in the past week anyway…”

Yeah, the all-important student council president she is. He doesn’t argue, though, because she is right that he has no idea where they’re going. He honestly didn’t really even think about.

It’s not too long of a drive, but it’s long enough for Nerissa to start _talking_ :

“I didn’t even really want to go, you know. I can’t even dance. Turn left here. But I guess because Ada wanted us all to go so badly… Oh, left here too. I can’t believe you guys were betting on us. That’s insane.”

“Is it really so unbelievable?”

“Uh, _yeah_. I’m sure Ada would think so too, but don’t you _dare_ tell her. That would be so embarrassing.”

“I doubt it would be that bad,” he mutters.

“It’s down here.” She points, then shifts to face him, bewildered. “Are you kidding me? So, okay, I guess I get why you told about the whole college thing, but you _can’t_ tell her about this. I mean, I’m guessing _I_ wasn’t even supposed to know about it, but I’m _serious_.”

They come to a stop and Emmet shifts the gear into park.

“I won’t tell her,” he says. “But maybe you should.”

“What?”

“Tell me how you feel?” He shrugs. “What’s the worst that’ll happen? I know you wanted to ask her tonight, but it’s not like… I mean, she’s _available_. We both know she’s not straight. Why don’t you think you could have a chance?”

She furrows her eyebrows. “Well—well, she’s _Ada_.”

“Uh, yeah. And you’re Nerissa.”

She looks away, but the trouble shine in her gaze doesn’t go unnoticed. “It’s… You don’t get it. I mean, I know… I appreciate that I can talk to you, but you don’t get it.”

He sometimes thinks this is, like, a superpower of hers. This ability to act misunderstood about _everything_.

“I do get it,” he insists. “I’ve ‘gotten it’ for years. You—”

“I’m just trying to move on,” she snaps, and now she turns back to him, eyes fierce and watery. “Don’t, okay? This is supposed to be fun, so just drop it.”

It’s not _his_ confession to make, so what else can he do?

He watches her for a moment, then nods. “Fine, all right. Forget it. Let’s go.”

She takes a deep breath in. Respectfully, he looks away from her and cuts the engine. If this were one of those cool high school romance movies, he think there would probably be a valet here, but there’s not, so once they are both out of the car and the doors are locked, he stuffs the keys in his pocket.

Nerissa faces him again with a smile and holds out an arm. He loops his through hers and lets her lead the way up to the entrance. Apparently, there’s a ballroom in this hotel that they reserved for the night. There are many others already filing inside, couples and groups of friends alike. Though he surely scans the whole parking lot, he doesn’t see Ada and Orion.

There’s already music playing inside, drinks and snacks at far side of the room. As they enter, Nerissa drops his arm to look around, lips pursed in deep thought.

“They could’ve decorated more,” she says loudly, and Emmet snorts.

“Well, weren’t you in charge of that?”

“No. God, could you imagine?” She laughs. “I’ve hardly got an eye for design.”

“It can’t be _that_ hard, can it?”

She grimaces. “Well, according to the decoration committee…yes.”

He finds himself grateful, not for the first time, that Nerissa never did manage to rope him into joining student council.

“Look, there’s Ada.” She’s pointing across the room, where Ada is standing with Orion and two others. “Her dress looks way better in person than in pictures, doesn’t it?”

They _have_ seen it in person, too, just never _on_ her. It’s a peachy orange sort of colour. Honestly, he almost expected her to be wearing one of those really puffy dresses that everyone thinks of when they think of prom, but he was grateful to note the first time she showed him the picture that it’s far from it. More like Nerissa’s, it’s not exactly form-fitting, but it keeps to itself, at least.

“Yeah, I guess,” he finally says. He’s not really sure, but he doubts Nerissa cares about his answer anyway.

“It’s definitely prom queen worthy.” She tears her gaze away from Ada and glances over at him. “Should we go over there?”

The lighting makes it difficult to see her eyes, but Emmet’s pretty sure she’s not on the verge of tears anymore.

“All right,” he agrees. “Hey, you’re the one who gets to do all that prom king and queen stuff, right?”

Suddenly, her smile twists, like she’s trying hard not to laugh. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Are there, like, _legit_ crowns?”

“Unfortunately,” she says dryly, but she’s still smiling.

They travel along the edge of the room to avoid those who have already gotten into the dancing—how they can do that, Emmet has no idea—and eventually come to a stop behind Ada and Orion.

“It’s, like, not a big deal,” Ada’s saying. “The person I wanted to ask me wouldn’t have said yes anyway, so I’m glad it’s you.”

His best friends are such _idiots_.

“Hi,” he says loudly and she whirls around, nearly stumbling over her dress as she does. Amused, Orion reaches out an arm to steady her. Emmet does _not_ miss the glare Nerissa sends his way for it. Like she _wanted_ Ada to fall!

Ada flushes under the multicoloured lights. “Oh, um. Hey.” She’s not even looking at Emmet, though. “That’s— _wow_. You look so good, Nerissa. I can see why you didn’t want to show us.” She smiles faintly, but she hasn’t let go of Orion’s arm. Like it’s a lifeline or something.

Nerissa is blushing too, eyes anywhere but Ada’s face. “Th-thanks. You look really nice too.”

Emmet rolls his eyes. “You look great too, Emmet,” he says, pitching his voice a little higher. “It’s so nice to see you, Emmet.”

Now, Ada turns to look at him, laughing. “Yeah, yeah, you look great too, Emmet. You guys look like such a—”

“Don’t even think about finishing that sentence,” he warns. “I couldn’t have such a controlling girlfriend anyway.”

She scoffs. “I am _not_ controlling.”

“Well, you can be a bit intense,” Ada offers. “But I don’t think you’re controlling.”

“Thank you.” She sniffs. “So, have you been here long, or…?”

“Not long,” says Orion. Emmet’s always found him a bit intimidating, but somehow the fancy suit jacket makes him even _more_ so. “Ada said we should wait for you.”

Nerissa smiles gratefully. “Thanks. I think we’d both be totally lost, you know. This is way more your things than ours.”

“Well, I don’t know about that.” Ada’s lips curl up slyly. “You just need a good dance partner, you know. You don’t mind, do you?”

She’s separated herself from Orion and grabbed Nerissa’s by the wrist. Her question is directed more to Emmet than Nerissa, because obviously Nerissa doesn’t mind, so he just shrugs and says, “You can keep her for all I care.”

“Hey!” Nerissa’s laughing, though, her cheeks still quite red. “I thought you said you were a _good_ date.”

He winks at her. “I am. You’ll thank me later. Have fun, now.”

And then Ada is pulling her away, chattering excitedly about God knows what.

“Should I have expected that?” Orion asks thoughtfully.

Emmet snickers. “Definitely. Good you asked her, though.”

“Yes, well, I doubt I’ll stay that late anyway. Alisha will be done work before this is over. I sort of assumed Ada wouldn’t mind if I left her with you.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that,” Emmet assures him. “Whether you’ll even see her at all, though…”

To his surprise, Orion laughs. He hadn’t even known he could _do_ that.

“I don’t mind,” he says. “If she wants to know where I am, I’ll be over there.”

Emmet follows his finger, then nods. “Yeah, sure. See you around, man.”

He just nods before setting off for the snack table. Nice guy, sure, but _scary_. Emmet doesn’t get how Ada isn’t terrified of him, when she’s so damn _small_.

He leans against the wall and scans the dancefloor for his friends. They’re easily found near the middle, while Ada tries to guide Nerissa though steps she would barely be able to manage in sneakers, let alone _heels_. It’s a bit funny, really, to watch each time as she stumbles and Ada helps her up again, laughing.

The music slows and many of the dancers vacate the floor, leaving behind mostly couples. For a moment, it looks like Nerissa is going to pull Ada away, but then Ada is saying something, grabbing hold of her hands and guiding them to where they out to be.

They make a good couple, really. Emmet thinks back to what Nerissa said in the car. What was it? … _She’s Ada_.

Emmet’s never really understood why Nerissa doesn’t think she’s as spectacular as she is. Like, she’s the top of their class, does volunteer work and runs the student government and still has plenty of time, somehow, to spend with her friends and family. She’s a little awkward, sure, and sometimes she sticks her foot in her mouth. Sometimes, too, she does stupid shit and doesn’t even _realize_.

So, she’s not as nice as Ada is, or as naturally empathetic as her brother. She doesn’t have the same sense of humour that makes her mother so charming, and she sure as hell can’t cook as well as her father. But she’s so accomplished, even at such a young age, and it’s like she doesn’t even see how impressive that is.

Maybe it’s because she thinks she’s unattractive, but it’s not as if Ada’s ever found her anything but beautiful. Even when they were disgusting preteens, Ada was already pining for Nerissa. _Hard_.

Nerissa, herself, took a while to even realize she _had_ feelings for Ada. Emmet basically had to tell her.

But he won’t tell her this, and he won’t tell Ada, either.

Eventually, they come back to him. Perhaps a testament to how badly she just wanted _Nerissa_ to ask her to prom, Ada doesn’t even ask where Orion is.

“I even brought her back in one piece,” Ada says proudly, beaming. “I told her you guys ought to dance together, since you’re, you know. _Here_ together. I was gonna go outside for some air. It’s crazy hot in here, you know?”

She says all of this very fast, so fast that Emmet nearly misses half of it, but he manages a dazed nod before she’s walking away from them, apparently to step outside.

Emmet looks to Nerissa with a raised eyebrow. “What was that about?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know. Uh, can you even dance?”

“Are you kidding me?” He shoves her lightly. “I’m a _great_ dancer. Part of being the best date ever, but you’re so caught up on Ada you won’t even give me a chance.”

“Shut _up_ ,” she hisses, but her voice is high with embarrassment, so it’s not exactly _scary_.

“Fine, fine.” He puts a hand out for her. “Let’s dance, then.”

She leads the way back to the floor. Unlike Ada, she avoids the middle area by a wide margin. They stay near the edges, mostly laughing at each other for being poor at dancing than actually doing it.

By the time Ada returns to them, it’s nearly the hour. Nerissa grabs Emmet’s left arm and glances down at his watch.

“I think I have to go,” she says apologetically. “Announcements soon, you know.”

With that, she slips away, apparently searching for other student council members so they can tally up any last-minute votes.

“Looks like you’ll need to find your date again,” Emmet teases.

“You don’t know he’ll be king,” Ada points out. “There are lots of boys it could be. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be you.”

He snorts. “Yeah, whatever. I’d _leave_.”

She slaps his arm. “You would not! It would mean you owe me a dance, that’s all. It’s not that bad, is it?”

“Well, you’re pretty confident, aren’t you?”

Her cheeks redden. “Well, um, Nerissa told me, actually.”

“Is she allowed to do that?”

“Doesn’t she make the rules?”

Touché.

“All right, then,” he concedes. “Guess we should get a little closer, then.”

They do, just as the music drops down and the mic is passed off to Nerissa. Someone behind her is holding the _legit_ prom king and queen crowns, still as a statue. Is if they’re _breakable_.

“Hi, hello,” Nerissa says, then winces at the volume of her voice. Pulling the mic a little away from her, she tries again: “Good evening! So, we’ve all worked pretty hard to get here, right? So now that we are here, let’s take the time to enjoy the dance and relax a little.”

Emmet exchanges an amused glance with Ada. As if Nerissa could ever _relax_.

“You’ve all voted for your prom king and queen,” she’s saying. “So now that we’ve counted all the votes, it’s time to find out who won!”

Someone else passes up a slip of paper to her, which she reads silently, then bursts out laughing at. Seeming to take a great effort to catch her breath, she manages to say, “Our—our prom _king_ this year is Emmet Pomlei!”

He stares up in horror as Ada dissolves in giggles beside him. He turns around to glare at her.

“This is so not funny! What the hell, man? Did you rig it?!”

“N-no!” she gasps. “Go get your tiara, princess!”

This is the _worst_ thing that’s ever happened to him.

Begrudgingly, he makes his way up to the raised stage where the DJ and student council members are. Once he’s eye-level with Nerissa, he shoots her a glare and mouths, “ _Fuck you_.”

She just grins at him, then glances down at her little paper again as the girl with the crowns places one atop his head.

“And our prom queen is Ada Archer!”

Yeah, no surprises _there_ , at least.

He moves aside so there’s room for Ada to come up beside him. With a wide smile, she accepts her crown. It sits atop curly blonde hair. She really _does_ look like a queen.

“Our next song will be dedicated to Emmet and Ada,” Nerissa says, and she’s _obviously_ trying to keep herself from laughing. “Congratulations to the class of 2020, and have fun!”

With that, she passes the mic back to the DJ, then follows the procession of other student council members of the stage. Ada follows after her, Emmet coming up behind her, and once they are away from the steps again, Nerissa doubles over in laughter.

“The look on your face!” she wheezes. “Good God, you’d think someone _died_.”

“Yeah, my _dignity_.”

“Oh, it’s not _that_ bad.” Ada waves a hand between them. “Well? Are we going to dance or not?”

He really doesn’t have a choice, does he?

With a heavy sigh, he lets her drag him to the dancefloor, just as she did with Nerissa earlier. But Nerissa isn’t dancing now; she stays on the edge of the room, watching them with a soft, fond smile.

The next slow song begins. Ada sets her hands on his shoulders and grins.

Rolling his eyes, he takes hold of her and begins the steps to their pathetic dance.

“Did she tell you about this too?” he finally asks.

“No, she thought it would be Orion too, but apparently you’ve had a lot of votes from the very beginning.” She chuckles. “Who knew you were so popular?”

Well, he _has_ been pretty popular this year, he realizes. Ever since the betting pool starting.

Is _that_ why this happened? Good grief.

“Well, whatever.” He offers a smile back to her. “Nice to have a chance to chat with you, at least.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Maybe we need to talk about the fact that you stole my date.”

She laughs, but the humour quickly fades from her face when he doesn’t join in. “What do you mean? You’re not really mad, are you?”

“No, you idiot.” He scoffs. “I just mean, you should tell her. You’ve been with her practically all night anyway.”

“Well, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Of course I am!” In her irritation, she accidentally steps on his foot. “Shit, sorry—I just. Like, I know you mean well, but it’s not like that. I don’t want to mess things up. I’m _fine_ just being friends.”

“She was going to ask you!” he bursts, then halts, making her stumble.

“W-what?” She blinks up at him with wide green eyes. “That’s not funny—”

“I’m not making a joke!” The cat’s already out of the bag anyway. “It’s all she talked about for months. Didn’t you ever stop to think why she was so upset you said yes to Orion? I kept telling her, but she thought you’d say no!”

She opens her mouth, then closes it again. They’re not moving at all anymore, but nobody around them seems to care, simply maneuvering to avoid running into them. He wonders if Nerissa is still watching them, if she’s concerned.

“You’re—you’re really serious, aren’t you?” Ada finally manages. “You really… She really was. You’re not making it up.”

“Why the fuck would I do that?” They can’t really think he’s _that_ much of a jerk, can they?

“I—I don’t know!” She grips his shoulders tighter, straightening up. “Why didn’t you _tell_ me?”

“Because you should have told her! Or the other way around, whatever, I just—I never wanted to do it _for_ you guys, but I guess now I—”

He stops, though, as she suddenly pulls him into a firm embrace. When she finally pulls back, her eyes are alight with excitement.

The song has already changed, though Emmet couldn’t really say when it did.

He offers her a smile, then gives her a light shove. “Go get her, then. Stupid.”

She grins, then races off, an impressive feat considering the _shoes_ she’s wearing.

He follows after her, a little slower. By the time he breaks through the crowd, though, she and Nerissa have already all but disappeared.

He pulls the stupid crown of his head, and, though he’s tempted to simply drop it somewhere, hangs it over his right wrist. He winds through his classmates to get to the exit, desperate to escape from this crazy fucking production.

As soon as he steps outside, though, he figures out where Nerissa and Ada have gone.

They’re sitting on the curbside, heads bent down together. He can’t hear if they’re speaking, but he’s sure they _are_. Briefly, he thinks he ought to step back inside, but then he shakes his head and comes closer to sit down on Nerissa’s other side.

“Did you win?” Nerissa asks immediately, and for a second he has no idea what she’s talking about, but then it clicks.

He snorts. “Yeah, I did. I think I cheated, though.”

Ada looks over to him, eyebrows furrowed. Her whole body is flush with Nerissa’s, drawn like a magnet.

“They were betting on us,” Nerissa explains. “I, um…I just found out earlier. I thought it was, I don’t know, some stupid joke, because…”

“Oh.” Ada blinks. “So, what? You got, like, twenty bucks?”

He _has_ done the math, though not since last week. “Uh, three hundred more like, I think. But, you know, I think I deserve all…man, what was it… _five thousand_?”

They’re both gaping at him now.

Ada is the first one to break free of her shock. “You’re joking, right?”

“Why do you always assume I’m not telling the truth?!”

“It’s not…that’s just… What? That’s insane!”

He shakes his head. “It’s been going on for a long time. Lots of people got into it, too. You know, I think even Poseidon put some money down. But, uh…no offence or anything, but everyone knew you guys were in love with each other _way_ before you did.”

Nerissa visibly swallows. “In _love_ …?”

Oh, _great_. Now he’s really done all the confessing for them, hasn’t he?”

“I think love sounds good,” Ada says quietly, and Nerissa turns to look at her so fast Emmet’s worried they might hit heads.

“Yeah,” she manages. “I guess it does.”

He’s so sure they’re going to kiss the moment before they do that he already has his phone ready to get a picture of it. Their lips have barely even touched before the flash alerts them to it. Fucking auto-flash.

Ada pushes past Nerissa in a mad grab for his phone, but he stands, holding it out of her reach.

“It’s _evidence_ ,” he insists. “So I can get my fucking money. After everything you two have put me through, I’m not gonna let some loophole get me out of my cash!”

Nerissa snorts, then bursts out into laughter, the sort of hysterical laugh she often does when she’s sleep deprived. The thought makes Emmet laugh too, and soon Ada has fallen across Nerissa’s lap practically in tears too, her plastic crown askew on her head.

After a moment, he’s finally caught his breath enough to say, “Do you guys wanna get out of here?”

“Ugh, _yes_.” Ada struggles to sit up, then lifts her legs up. “My feet are _killing_ me.”

“We promised your mom we’d get more pictures,” Nerissa reminds him. “We should at least do those before we go.”

Suddenly, Ada’s eyes light up. “That’s _right_. Prom king and queen, right? We need our picture taken whether you want it or not!”

He groans, but can do nothing other than relent. He did tell his mother they would get more pictures, after all.

Her feet must not hurt _that_ badly, because Ada is up in an instant. She reaches a hand down to help Nerissa to her feet, then pulls her close and smiles at Emmet. “Well? Aren’t you coming?”

He falls into step beside them and they head back inside. Pictures won’t be so bad, he thinks.

After all, this is a night he’s going to want to remember for a very, very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are always appreciated! xx
> 
> if you're interested in learning more about or reading my novel series, i post all info on twitter [@laphicets](https://twitter.com/laphicets) and tumblr [@kohakhearts](https://kohakhearts.tumblr.com)! feel free to find me for general writing updates too; i also sometimes take fic requests on both platforms!


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